


Sunflowers

by AwkAnxJennifer



Series: Sunflowers [1]
Category: Mewgulf, Waanjai, เกลียดนักมาเป็นที่รักกันซะดีๆ | TharnType: The Series (TV) RPF
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Romance, Canon Compliant, Dating Mew Suppasit Jongcheveevat/Gulf Kanawut Traipipattanapong | MewGulf Pen Faen Gun, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:54:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 37,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27732604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkAnxJennifer/pseuds/AwkAnxJennifer
Summary: We will probably never know exactly when and how MewGulf fell in love with each other. This is my (mostly) canon-compliant version of how I imagine their story went. There are some explicit scenes, but not in every chapter. There's love. There's angst. I've included most of the best MewGulf moments. I've already written 15 chapters, so I can release them every couple of days without any pressure to write more in a hurry. I hope you all enjoy the ride!
Relationships: Mew Suppasit Jongcheveevat/Gulf Kanawut Traipipattanapong
Series: Sunflowers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2028610
Comments: 177
Kudos: 442





	1. Gulf

**Author's Note:**

> Reference video for this chapter:
> 
> Auditions: https://youtu.be/dRixmhWxIh4

Gulf

* * *

Gulf shook his head a little as he arrived for the second day of auditions for TharnType, a little surprised to be there. He found a quiet corner of the room and watched the other actors rehearsing their lines. Eying his competition, he knew the odds of nailing the role of Type were slim since many of them had more experience than him. 

Fidgeting with his phone, he wondered how many of the actors were at the callback for Tharn that he would have to run a scene with. The chemistry between the title characters was a crucial component of a romance series. Gulf could be the best actor in the room and still fail to get the role because he didn’t have visible chemistry with any of the men auditioning for Tharn. 

Gulf had no problem getting into character as Type, no matter who was portraying Tharn. Maybe that’s because he figured he and Type’s personalities were about 60% the same. They were both hot-headed guys who loved to play soccer. 

While Gulf had never really kissed a man before ( _giving his friends a peck on the lips as a joke didn’t count, right?_ ), he wasn’t too concerned about kissing a man for work. He didn’t understand why an actor would flinch at the thought of kissing somebody of the same sex. After all, it was the character doing the kissing, and the actor’s body was just a vessel. 

When it was his turn to audition as Type, actor after actor came in and ran the scene with him as Tharn, and Gulf felt nothing except the thrill of embodying the character of Type. He was worried he would miss out on the role just because he didn’t have chemistry with anybody. 

That is until HE walked in. 

Gulf felt his pulse race as Mew Suppasit walked into the room. Mew was six feet tall with dark brown almond-shaped eyes. His hair was colored a medium shade of brown and cut straight across his eyebrows. 

Gulf had noticed Mew on the first day of auditions surrounded by fans. A few of those fans had approached him while Mew was busy with his audition and asked for his name and IG. Since he still had fewer than 10,000 followers, Gulf was happy to pick up a few more. 

Mew was famous for two things in the Thai entertainment industry: the explicit proposal scene he had done on his last series, and the fallout he later had with his costar. 

Gulf was still angry about what that man had said about Mew. From what Gulf could tell, Mew seemed like basically a good guy who didn’t deserve all that drama. Sure, he wasn’t blameless in the situation, but his “punishment” seemed much worse than his “crime.”

As he watched Mew stride across the room toward him, Gulf suddenly felt shy about running a romantic scene with a handsome experienced actor who had a ripped body that made Gulf feel like a baby in comparison. It occurred to him to wonder whether there was more than jealousy hiding under his nervousness, but he dismissed the thought. After all, he was straight.

He felt energized during his scene with Mew in a way he hadn’t been with the other actors. Gulf’s Type was definitely attracted to Mew’s Tharn. That made it easier for Gulf to portray Type and the emotions he was feeling in that scene. His heart raced when Mew placed his hand on his cheek, and the touch lingered in Gulf’s mind when he pulled away.

When it came time to kiss, Mew held a booklet in front of their faces to hide them from the director, producer, and other staff. Gulf held his breath as Mew got within an inch of his lips. The other guys had just done an air kiss a full hand span away from him.

As Mew dropped the booklet and the scene ended, Gulf was lost in Mew’s eyes for a moment. His ears felt like they were on fire, and he knew they would be red. 

_That’s just Type,_ Gulf thought. _I’m not the one wondering what it would be like to actually kiss Mew._

Gulf had to run the scene with a few more guys after that, but none had any effect on him. After he had done the scene with every potential Tharn, P’Mame, the writer and a producer of the series, asked which actor was Gulf’s favorite Tharn. He didn’t hesitate before giving Mew’s name. 

Chemistry couldn’t be faked, and there was no denying the chemistry between him and Mew. 

* * *

A few hours later, Gulf’s stomach flipped when the staff gathered all the young men to say who had gotten roles. Gulf tuned out as they announced the roles of the minor characters first. He hadn’t auditioned for any other role, and he didn’t know any of the other guys aside from Mew, so it made no difference to him who got those roles. 

“And now it’s time to announce our Tharn and Type,” P’Mame announced. “We had a hard time at first deciding which actors should get these roles. As the title characters, it’s critical to get their casting right. In the end, these two actors were the only ones to choose each other when asked who their favorite partner was. That made us confident about our picks for Tharn and Type.”

Gulf tried not to sigh. That meant he would only be cast as Type if Mew was chosen as Tharn - and even if Mew was cast as Tharn, he doubted the experienced actor would have chosen a rookie like him to be his Type. 

P’Mame continued. “In the role of Tharn, we have...Mew Suppasit Jongcheveevat!” 

Gulf whipped his head toward the corner he had previously spotted Mew in. Strangely, Mew’s eyes found Gulf’s as he walked across the room to stand by P’Mame. Gulf’s heart skipped a beat as he dared to hope what Mew’s smile meant. 

“And in the role of Type, we have…” Gulf swallowed hard and tried to slow his heart rate. “Gulf Kanawut Traipipattanapong!” He froze for a second, then blinked, smiled, and walked up to Mew’s side, too shy to look at anything but his feet. 

The sound of tepid applause from disappointed actors wasn’t enough to mask the sound of Gulf’s heartbeat in his ears. He couldn’t believe he had landed the role of a title character. He especially couldn’t believe he would be partnered with Mew...who had somehow chosen Gulf as his Type. 

He looked up when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Mew was grinning at him and Gulf couldn’t help but smile back. “Congratulations. I’m looking forward to working with you. Would you mind taking a picture with me for my fans?”

When Mew told his fans that he had gotten the role of Tharn, they squealed in delight, and Mew smiled so big that his eyes nearly closed. As Mew introduced Gulf and they stood near each other for pictures, Gulf idly wondered what it would be like to have fans of his own someday. 

* * *

“How was your audition?” 

Gulf was surprised to see his girlfriend Poom in their shared condo when he got home. Recently, she had been spending most nights at her parents’ house because it was closer to the majority of her modeling photo shoots. 

“It was great - I got the part of Type!” he said as he removed his shoes and jacket. Poom squeaked and ran across the room and into his arms. 

“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you. Who got the role of Tharn?”

Gulf wrapped his arms around Poom’s tiny waist and gave her a quick kiss before pulling her tightly against him. “Mew Suppasit. He was on What the Duck.”

He felt her mouth gape open against his chest. “Wow, really? He’s hot!” Gulf’s breath hitched and Poom started to laugh. “Don’t worry. You’re hotter.” She looked up to wink at him and he sighed. 

No man wants to hear their girlfriend call another man hot, but Gulf found that he couldn’t disagree with her. Mew Suppasit was one of the sexiest male models and actors in Thailand - and Gulf would soon get paid to kiss him on screen. 

He felt his ears going red and decided to change the topic. “How was your shoot today?”


	2. Mew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The TEPclusives interview was filmed less than 3 weeks after casting, a few days before workshops started. This chapter is from Mew's POV, and we get to see his thoughts as he learns more about his handsome costar. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Look for Chapter 3 in a couple of days. If you're enjoying this series, be sure to check out my one-shots, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Related/reference videos for this chapter:  
> TEPclusives Interview:  
> Part 1: https://youtu.be/KCposbrobF4  
> Part 2: https://youtu.be/jtF-t1Q8Szg  
> Part 3: https://youtu.be/PRN4XHLiBns  
> Part 4: https://youtu.be/RJ3Dl3moOzs

A few weeks after being cast as Tharn and a few days before workshops were set to begin for TharnType, Mew was dreading his first interview with his new costar. 

It had nothing to do with the kid. _Not a kid,_ Mew reminded himself. Yes, the fresh-faced 21-year-old seemed very young to him as he approached his 28th birthday, but Gulf was still an adult. 

No, Mew was dreading the TEPclusives filming because his last interview with Patty a few months ago had been a disaster. It was right after _he who shall not be named_ tried to ruin Mew’s career and reputation. 

That had been one of the most uncomfortable interviews of his life. While Patty was a great interviewer and very friendly, he was worried whether she would ask what had happened with him and his last costar. Even if she asked him off-camera, he didn’t want to revisit that dark time. 

Also, the interview would be in English. There would be an interpreter present, and Mew’s English was pretty good, but having to mentally convert questions from English to Thai and then the answers from Thai to English was incredibly draining. 

When Mew arrived, Gulf was fiddling with his phone in a corner of the small room and talking to a man who Mew assumed was his manager. Mew pressed his hands together and bowed in a _wai_ toward Gulf's manager. Gulf noticed and gave a shy _wai_ to Mew before returning his attention to his conversation and phone.

Soon, Patty arrived, and she was full of bubbly energy as production assistants wired Mew and Gulf with mics. Patty slid over to Mew and whispered, “I’m sorry about last time. I’ll try to go easy on you today.” Mew smiled at her in relief. 

As the final preparations were put in place, Mew took a moment to marvel at the fact that the quiet young man on the stool next to him had chosen him as his favorite Tharn. Mew hadn’t been anybody’s favorite anything in a long time. 

He couldn’t help but wonder whether Gulf was aware of the drama surrounding him and what had happened with _he who shall not be named_ a few months ago. Maybe he hadn’t known during the auditions, but surely somebody would have warned him by now. Mew wondered if the information would make the kid more hesitant to work with him. 

The first question was about Mew and Gulf’s first impressions of each other. Mew answered first, in Thai to reassure Gulf that it was OK not to stress about his English skills. He said that he felt like he could act well with Gulf and that they had good chemistry. He mostly looked at the off-camera interpreter, glancing at Gulf just a couple of times to gauge his reaction. 

Mew was curious how Gulf would answer. Gulf replied in Thai that he felt shy because he hadn’t done much acting before and Mew already had experience. Mew couldn’t help but smile as Gulf continued, “When I acted with him, he gave me the emotion so that I can pass the casting well.”

Most of the other actors auditioning for the role of Type had seemed intimidated by Mew. They probably believed the rumors about him and were hesitant to fully engage in the scene. Yet here was a young man who appreciated his acting experience and actually found himself getting further into the character of Type rather than out of it. 

Mew smiled at a memory. “His ears got red,” he said. Mew had to admit to himself - it was adorable to see somebody go from being completely immersed in their character to blushing like a virgin bride. 

The next question was about whether or not they had felt insecure around each other. “No no no,” Mew replied. He was a professional. Why would he get insecure about acting with somebody?

Patty clarified with Gulf. “I think this is your first time acting, isn’t it?”

Gulf nodded. “Yes.”

“Did you feel insecure because Mew has already been acting?”

Gulf replied in English, “No, I think, uh...He will protect me.”

Mew couldn’t help but smile in disbelief. For the last several months, other actors had been afraid to interact with him at every audition, seemingly afraid he might sexually assault them. And now, here was this naive kid, _not a kid,_ who honestly believed that Mew would protect him. _Why?_

“Really?” he chuckled. “I will protect you?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

Mew knew well how much protection a young actor needed in this industry. Around every corner, there were people wanting to take advantage of you. He thought about all the negative experiences he had had in the entertainment industry in the last decade.

Gulf seemed so young, innocent, and trusting. They still didn’t know each other well, but Mew suspected he would, in fact, end up protecting Gulf. It was just in his nature to want to take care of everybody around him. 

Within a few questions, Gulf started looking to Mew rather than the interpreter for help understanding and answering the English questions. It made sense since they were seated next to each other, but Mew saw it as a small example of the trust Gulf claimed to have in him. 

When Patty asked Gulf if he was nervous about the love scenes, he reiterated that he wasn’t worried about it, because he had an experienced actor to help him. One of Mew’s love scenes in What the Duck had gone viral, so it was well-known that he had experience with love scenes. Mew wondered whether this shy young man had watched that scene. 

A couple of questions later, Patty was asking Gulf whether acting in a BL series had been his first choice. “Would you rather act in a boy/girl series?” 

Mew was interested in Gulf’s answer. Many actors auditioned for BL series simply because there was less competition for the acting jobs. Most of them were straight, and many were even homophobic, but they thought the roles would jumpstart their careers. _Was that the case with Gulf?_

“To be honest, they are no different for me,” Gulf replied. “I think actors should be able to act with every character.”

 _Perfect answer._ Mew smiled, nodded, and said, “Awesome,” then gave a thumbs up to the camera. That was the same way he felt about acting, that gender shouldn’t matter when it came to romantic pairings.

Well, he was also pansexual, but a good actor shouldn’t need to be attracted to their partner in a romance. _And based on my past experience, it would be much better if I_ wasn’t _attracted to them._

As the interview continued, Mew found himself more and more intrigued by Gulf’s answers. 

When asked about one thing he would change about his life, he answered that he thinks he should be focusing more on work. 

_It bodes well for the series if he wants to focus on work,_ Mew thought. He didn’t want to work with somebody who wasn’t committed to putting their all into their role. After all, making a series was a team effort, and it wouldn’t succeed without everybody doing their best - especially the title characters. 

When Patty asked about their first kiss, Mew was trying to figure out how to evade the highly personal question when Gulf came up with the best answer: “My mom.”

_What a genius way to dodge a question. This kid is clever. Not a kid. Gulf._

“I want to copy his answer,” Mew joked before replying, “My father.”

Mew followed Gulf’s idea on how to dodge personal questions by saying that his first heartbreak was when his dog died. Gulf copied his answer and talked about his first dog, named Pocky. 

A few questions later, Mew was shocked to hear that Gulf had never been to a concert before. Mew LOVED music. He played several instruments and enjoyed singing. He still remembered going to his first concert to see the Thai singer Stamp. He had felt energized by the crowd and wondered if he would ever have a music career with an audience screaming for him one day. 

Mew grew concerned when it was time to play a game with a lie detector toy that would give you a small shock if it thought you were lying. He didn’t like pain.

He was the first one to go and escaped a shock when he admitted that he had slept naked before. Gulf got the next question and was visibly nervous. He admitted to cheating on a test before, but he still got shocked. 

The next question was for Mew. “Have you broken someone’s heart before?” Mew was embarrassed to say “Yes,” and he was surprised to feel a stab of pain in his middle finger after a few seconds of dramatic sound effects. “Why did I get a shock?” He didn’t appreciate being punished for telling the truth. 

The format changed, and Patty asked Mew a couple more questions before it was Gulf’s turn again. Mew got another shock after admitting that he had had a mutual understanding with somebody in the past that did not lead to a relationship. 

_I hate these types of personal questions. Who wants to admit they’ve had a sex friend?_

Now, he was worried that the toy was going to shock him for every answer, and Patty was so shy about asking the final question that Mew almost didn’t want to know what it was.

“The question is, sex or chocolate?”

Mew giggled and replied, “Chocolate.” _Who would admit to preferring sex in an interview that could be seen by thousands of people?_ He couldn’t stop laughing as he waited for the stupid toy to deliver a verdict. 

_Ding._ The toy made a happy noise instead of shocking him, and Mew was relieved. He picked up the toy and kissed it for not revealing his lie. “I love you.” He did love chocolate - but treasuring every inch of a partner’s body was definitely better.

Gulf was asked the next three questions and got shocked after every reply - including the sex or chocolate question. Mew couldn’t help but laugh and cover his face. “You are lying!”

Mew knew the toy was reacting to Gulf’s nervousness, and he felt bad that Gulf kept getting shocked, but it was fun to tease his costar, especially since Gulf was laughing rather than pouting. 

He appreciated that the kid, _not a kid_ , wasn’t taking the silly game too seriously. Once they finished filming, they would have to do several months of promotions filled with similar ridiculous games. The stupid games would be more tolerable if they could both have fun with it rather than getting annoyed.

Next, it was time to ask each other a question. Mew wanted to postpone the risk of getting shocked for as long as possible, so he said he would ask the first question.

“Four times already,” Gulf said with a smile before strapping his hand back into the toy, probably mentally preparing for another shock. 

Mew tried to think of a good question to ask Gulf and settled on, “Am I handsome?” Mew wasn’t vain enough to care. He just thought it would be funny to see how Gulf responded. Based on how red Gulf had gotten during their audition together, Mew was pretty sure he knew the answer. 

Gulf nodded. “Handsome. And then I will get a shock again.”

“Behave well,” Mew told the toy in Thai. He wanted Gulf to be the one to understand that he hoped he was telling the truth. _Why do I care what this kid thinks about me?_ Mew tucked the question away to think about later.

When the toy shocked poor Gulf yet again, Mew couldn’t help but smile, point, and say, “Lie!”

Gulf was laughing, but he replied, “No! I got a shock again. Four times already. I didn’t lie!” 

Mew gave the younger man a playful shove to the shoulder. He was glad that Gulf seemed to have a good sense of humor about being shocked so many times. Mew wasn’t sure he would have been as good-humored about it.

Next, it was Mew’s turn to answer a question from Gulf. He laughed when Gulf replied, “The same one.”

Patty reiterated, “Do you find Gulf handsome?”

Mew giggled and said, “Yes,” because it was true. 

Gulf’s striking good looks had caught his attention on the first day of auditions. Gulf was about his height, though he was lanky. His dark brown hair was swept to one side and threatened to fall into his eye. The first thing Mew had noticed about Gulf during the auditions, though, was his plump chestnut-shaped pink lips. Mew was looking forward to kissing those lips when they started shooting the series. 

However, Gulf had seemed unapproachable, surrounded by friends he wasn’t even talking to. 

After watching Gulf get shocked so many times, Mew was prepared for another shock himself. He figured the toy must be malfunctioning. He was pleasantly surprised when he got the _ding_ sound instead. 

He pointed at Gulf. “Liar! You are a liar!” Mew couldn’t help but tease the young man. 

He wasn’t prepared for the baby voice Gulf used when he whined, “No, I didn’t lie.” _No wonder I keep thinking of him as a kid. I wouldn’t expect such a small voice to come out of such a tall man._

Before the toy was put away, Mew and Gulf were allowed to ask Patty a question. Mew told Gulf in Thai that he could ask the question, and after thinking for a moment, Gulf replied in English: “Do you think...P’Mew and me...who is handsome?”

“More handsome,” Mew clarified. _I like the way this kid thinks._ “The question is so difficult,” Mew said while laughing. 

“Oh my God,” Patty whined. “Can I say both of them? I will not play,” she joked. “I don’t know how to answer. Both of them are handsome! Let me judge.” She placed a hand on her hip as she looked at him and Gulf. “OK, I’ll go with Mew.”

“Aw, thank you so much,” he replied. 

A few seconds later, Patty screamed as she got a shock. Gulf pointed at her and said, “Lie!”

“It’s broken,” Mew joked, and he laughed as Gulf pointed at the toy and also said, “Broken.”

“No, they’re both handsome,” Patty said. “I lied by choosing one, you know?”

Mew clapped for that answer, and they moved on to more questions without that awful toy. 

* * *

Becoming Gulf’s interpreter became interesting more than an hour into the interview when Patty asked, “Hook-up or relationship?” and Gulf turned to Mew and asked in Thai, “What is ‘hook-up’?” The look on Gulf’s face when Mew translated the phrase was hilarious, and they both laughed when he understood the question. 

Mew couldn’t help but touch Gulf’s knee, and then he said, “If I answer hook-up!” as he grabbed Gulf’s shoulders and laid his head on the near one while laughing so hard that he couldn’t breathe. He was glad that Gulf didn’t flinch away from his touches. They would have to get very comfortable with each other’s bodies before filming started. 

He didn’t know why, but Mew was happy when Gulf answered the same as him: “Relationship.” Mew believed that sex was much better when feelings were involved. _But why should I care what Gulf thinks about hook-ups?_

When asked if they believed in miracles, Mew told a story about taking a Polaroid picture at a temple in Hong Kong. He saw a defect in the picture and took it as a sign. He prayed at the temple to get a role in a series, and when he did, he went back to the same temple to pray again. 

Gulf replied, “I believe, but I don’t have experience.”

Patty said, “Soon you’ll experience it for sure. TharnType, I believe, is one of the miracles to happen to you, because this could actually really change your life.”

Mew wasn’t thrilled about the way his last series had changed his life, but he hoped that things would go better this time around. 

Later, the questions became “Would you rather” questions, with the first one being, “Would you rather love someone who doesn’t love you back, or try to love someone who loves you?”

_Who comes up with these stupid hypothetical questions? Who would settle for one or the other?_

Gulf answered first, “Someone who loves me. Because if I love someone who doesn’t love me, it is only one-sided love and there is no future. But I choose another one. Someone who loves me.”

Patty pressed on, “What happens if this person loves you, but you don’t love that person?”

“If that is the first time that we meet, I think there is no one that will love someone 100%. There might be something to talk about before, study, and understand each other first.”

Mew could certainly appreciate somebody who didn’t want to rush into love. Misinterpreting his previous costar’s friendship had caused him so many problems a few months before. Despite the fact that they had known each other for more than a year before “the incident,” Mew felt like he must have rushed his feelings to have wound up in such a messy situation.

Still, when it was his turn to answer, Mew said, “I will choose the person I love.”

Gulf softly said, “One-sided love.”

Mew continued. “I think I will have a chance to try my best.” Even after everything that had happened, Mew still loved the idea of pursuing somebody...but this time, he would wait to be sure of their feelings before making a move. 

A few questions later, Mew had an instant answer to the question, “Would you rather find true love or a suitcase with $5 million?”

“True love.” He had always been a hopeless romantic and would choose true love over just about anything except his family or his dog, Chopper. Besides, his family was rich, and $5 million wasn’t that much money.

Mew was amused by how long Gulf thought about his answer to the question. Eventually, he replied: “True love. I think there is a possibility that assuming that I have true love, then I can earn $5 million with this person.”

What an incredibly optimistic, sweet, and unexpected answer. Mew laughed so hard he just about fell off his stool. He wished he still felt that optimistic about a perfect future.

The last question Patty asked was, “What are your expectations in TharnType the Series?”

Gulf answered first, with a single word, “Experience.”

Patty pressed on. “Do you expect anything that would really help you out? Or what do you expect from Mew to help you with your character?”

Mew was curious to see how Gulf would reply.

“I hope he will take care of me.”

Mew couldn’t help but laugh at Gulf’s innocence and trust in him. “Why?”

“I want him to take care of me because he has experience on this aspect, and I am a new actor. I want the person who has experience to take care of me.” Gulf’s conviction was written on his face. Mew could tell that Gulf believed every word he was saying.

Mew felt the walls around his heart tremble. _Damn it. This kid just might find his way into my heart with that attitude. Who trusts a virtual stranger so completely? I don’t want to be the one to break that trust._

Mew silently vowed to do his best to take care of and protect Gulf while they worked together. 

The interview wrapped up after Mew replied that he hoped the fans would like the series and it would do well because he, Gulf, and the rest of the crew would work hard in it. 

* * *

While the production assistants were removing their mics, Mew turned to Gulf and said, “Hey, I didn’t have a chance to get your LINE ID after we were cast together. I think we should start getting to know each other better.”

Gulf simply nodded, dug into his pocket for his phone, unlocked it, and handed it to Mew to input his information. Mew could feel Gulf’s eyes on him as he did, and he wondered what the kid, _not a kid,_ was thinking. 

When Mew handed Gulf his phone back, he saw a slight smile on his face and the faintest red glow on his ears. _Adorable._

Mew shook his head. Despite how much Gulf clearly trusted him, he sensed that the young man had extremely high walls that he would have to dismantle brick by brick. The last thing he wanted was to push too hard and make Gulf uncomfortable before filming started. 

As each man left with their managers, Mew hoped he would be able to get through Gulf’s walls well enough for the series to be successful. His career probably wouldn’t survive another major drama.


	3. Gulf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about the first video call Mew and Gulf had, plus the first half of their first workshop (when they sat across from each other holding hands and looking into each other's eyes, but Gulf kept looking away). It's from Gulf's perspective. The chapter is a little short, but it's important. I hope you like it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference video:
> 
> Workshops: https://youtu.be/fnRd8br4L3A

###  Gulf

Gulf hoped that he hadn’t made it obvious how excited he had been to get Mew’s LINE ID. As an introvert, it took him a long time to warm up to people. Being able to chat with Mew outside of the workshops should help him get more comfortable with him before they started filming. Still, Gulf wasn’t bold enough to make the first move trying to get to know Mew better.

He was surprised to get a message from Mew that same night. “Hey. You have time for a video chat?”

Gulf felt the blood rush to his ears. He had already showered and had wet hair, no shirt, and his retainer in. “In a few minutes, sure,” he replied as he stood up and ran to his closet. As he pulled on a shirt, he heard the next message come in.

“Call me whenever you’re ready. Oh, and have your copy of the novel handy. We should start reading it together.”

As Gulf took out his retainer and turned on the hairdryer, he was glad that Poom was with her parents that night. What would she think of him preparing like this for a video chat with his costar?  _ Why AM I preparing like this just to talk to P’Mew? _

Once his hair was mostly dry, Gulf gathered a glass of water and his paperback copy of  _ TharnType _ and plopped onto the sofa. P’Mame hadn’t finished writing the script for the series yet, so she had asked him and Mew to read the novel in the meantime. 

Gulf video called Mew and was surprised when he answered almost immediately wearing a white tank top that showed off his large biceps. 

“Hey,” Gulf said, not sure what else to say.

Mew smirked at him through his phone screen. “Hey.” They were both silent for a minute until Mew finally said, “So, what do you like to do for fun?”

“I like to play soccer and video games. How about you?” Gulf hated small talk, but he understood that it was an important part of getting to know somebody. 

“I love to listen to and play music. I also like playing video games. But I don’t have a lot of spare time these days.”

Gulf perked up when he heard that Mew liked playing video games. “What’s your favorite game?”

“Pokemon and ROV are my favorites. You?”

Gulf grinned. “I love ROV! Maybe we could play together sometime?”

He watched a slow smile spread across Mew’s face. “Sure. I’d like that.”

They were both quiet for a minute. Gulf felt like he was terrible at keeping up conversations with people he didn’t know well. He never knew what to talk about.

The silence was broken by Mew. “So, during the interview today, you said you hadn’t started reading the novel yet?” 

“No,” Gulf admitted. “I only read enough to understand the character of Type.” He had been too busy with homework to want to end his days reading fiction, even if it was important for his new job.

“Maybe we should read it together. A few chapters a night during video chats?”

Gulf shrugged. He wouldn’t mind hearing Mew read half the chapters out loud to him. “Sure.” He stood up his phone on the coffee table and picked up the book. “You first?”

Mew smiled a half-smile, did a slow blink, then turned to the first page and started reading aloud.

* * *

The night before workshops started, toward the end of their nightly video chat, Mew asked, "Are you prepared to start skinship exercises tomorrow? The sooner we can get comfortable touching each other, the better."

Gulf wasn't a touchy-feely kind of person, but he knew he had to get comfortable touching somebody he would be filming sex scenes with to make them look natural rather than forced. He hated when he was watching a movie or series and could tell that the actors hated kissing each other. It took him out of the scene.

Besides, fans would expect them to show skinship in behind the scenes footage and when they were promoting the show. It was just part of the industry, and Gulf had known that before going into the audition.

"Yes, of course I'm ready. Like I said in the interview the other day, I chose this job. I understand what comes with it."

Even though Mew smiled, it didn't reach his eyes, and Gulf wondered why.

"You have to promise me something," Mew said. "If I ever do ANYTHING that makes you uncomfortable, you have to tell me right away. Okay? And as much as possible, I will always ask if you’re OK with something before touching you." 

Gulf couldn't imagine Mew doing anything that would ever make him uncomfortable, but he agreed since it seemed important to him. 

* * *

The next day, workshops started with some team-building exercises in the morning with the main cast. Filming would go more smoothly if they all trusted each other.

After a few hours, Gulf and Mew were separated from the group and asked to sit on the floor and look into each other's eyes. Mew suggested they also hold hands since that would be easy skinship to start with. 

_ Staring into another man's eyes is awkward _ . _ Heck, I've never even stared at Poom this long. _ He felt his face and ears heating up, and he had to look away a few times. 

The truth was that he found Mew’s eyes captivating. Gulf thought they were dark and mysterious, and he wanted to understand the man behind the sad eyes. 

"Tell me about your love life," Mew said after the third time Gulf broke eye contact. Gulf was too shocked to reply. "Looking into somebody's eyes is easier when you're having a conversation, and we need to get to know each other. Since we're acting in a love story, it might help if we knew about each other’s experiences with love. I can go first if you want." Gulf nodded. 

“Actually,” Mew said. “Let me ask you a question first. Have you heard about...the drama surrounding me and what happened with my last costar?” Gulf could see the pain in Mew’s eyes as he asked the question. 

Gulf managed to avoid rolling his eyes because he had a feeling Mew would misinterpret the gesture. “After our casting was announced, lots of people tried to tell me you were a predator. They said I shouldn’t work with you. But I don’t believe their stories.”

Mew drew his eyebrows together. “Why not?”

Gulf struggled to find the words to express himself. He much preferred reciting a character’s lines than conveying his own thoughts and feelings. 

“I just have this gut feeling that you aren’t that kind of person. That he was lying or exaggerating to hurt you for some reason. Besides, there are always two sides to every story. And then when we ran the scene together...I don’t know...I just felt like you would never hurt me.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t make sense when I say it out loud, I guess.”

Mew’s eyes looked watery, and he squeezed Gulf’s hands. “Thank you for trusting me,” he whispered. “I promise not to hurt you.”

“Wait...that’s why you were so concerned about me telling you if you ever make me uncomfortable?” Gulf hadn’t considered that Mew might still be affected by something that had happened several months ago. Gulf tended to get over things pretty quickly, usually after a good night’s sleep.

“Yes. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice.”  _ Maybe that’s why he looks so sad all the time. Perhaps he’s still in pain. _

Gulf scooched closer to Mew and leaned toward him to look deep into his eyes. Those beautiful eyes that looked like they could see into his soul. “I am not him. I’m a simple guy. I’m not interested in taking advantage of anybody or starting any drama. I trust you. Besides...I have a bit of a temper, so if you do something to piss me off, I’ll tell you directly.”

Mew took away one of his hands to wipe his eyes, then said, “Thank you.” Gulf was surprised because he had rarely seen other men cry unless they were in character. Nobody had ever seen Gulf cry as an adult, not even his family.

_ Time to change topics.  _ “Do you still want to talk about our love lives?” Gulf asked.

Mew laughed. “Yeah. I want you to hear my side of the story.”


	4. Mew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's take a look at the first few workshops from Mew's POV - including that famous first kiss! How did Mew feel about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference videos:  
> -What Really Happened Between Mew and [he who shall not be named]: https://youtu.be/aftFT7L_F4k  
> -Gulf and Poom: https://youtu.be/-UTQrnZ1xvQ  
> -The scene from Call Me By Your Name they re-enacted, where Gulf kissed Mew for real for the first time: https://youtu.be/xiBTxuxj8ig  
> -MewGulf first kiss during workshops: https://youtu.be/CxyWZYAp4rM  
> -Interview about first kiss: https://youtu.be/Jh9Qrp2QJwA

###  Mew

Mew closed his eyes, took a breath, and focused on how Gulf’s small hands felt in his large ones before recounting one of the toughest times of his life. 

“So, he and I had chemistry right from the start, and we got along great. We became really good friends. But somewhere along the way...I wanted more, and I thought he did, too.”

Gulf was gazing intently into his eyes, seemingly listening without judging. How Mew envied the kid’s, _no,_ _younger man’s,_ innocence and trust. 

“We had known each other for about a year and a half and spent a lot of time together. Between filming and promoting the series and just hanging out as friends, we got close. We even used to have sleepovers and go on vacation together.”

Mew knew he was adding irrelevant details to avoid getting to the hard part. Gulf stayed silent and kept his Bambi eyes trained on his while he spoke.  _ How does this 21-year-old man manage to look so child-like? _

“So...since I thought he shared my feelings, during one of our sleepovers...I kissed him.” Mew paused, waiting for a reaction from Gulf. He expected to see shock or dismay or horror or...anything, really. Even though Gulf had probably heard about this incident, most people still had a reaction when they heard it directly from him. 

But Gulf just nodded, encouraging Mew to continue the story.  _ Is he the first person to have heard about this without judging me? Maybe he isn’t really listening. _

“Do you have any questions so far?” 

“No. You thought he shared your feelings, so you kissed him.” Gulf shrugged, like the revelation of one man kissing another wasn’t as big of a shock as many other people had made it out to be. Mew had learned from their nightly video chats that Gulf was a very quiet person, but when he did speak, his words got straight to the point.

“Right. Well, at the time, he kissed me back...but I found out later that I had made him uncomfortable. He only kissed me back because he didn’t want to hurt my feelings.” Mew fought back the tears that were trying to build behind his eyes. Gulf’s face was still expressionless, so he continued. 

“But he didn’t tell me that directly, at least not at first. He evaded me for a few days, and I didn’t understand why. I thought he shared my feelings, and he had kissed me back, so why was he suddenly ignoring me?” 

Mew felt his hands start to shake, but he couldn’t seem to calm them. “I became frustrated with his silence and made the mistake of venting my frustration on an IG live. I said some things I shouldn’t have about him being unprofessional.” Although it had been a few months, the pain and confusion were still raw. 

Gulf finally spoke. “Did he finally talk to you before he did his own live?” 

Mew sighed. Of course Gulf would have seen that video, or at least heard about it. That single video had nearly destroyed Mew’s life and career in one fell swoop. Part of him was still surprised that he had landed the role of Tharn and hadn’t been blackballed by the entire industry. 

“Yeah, he eventually told me how he felt. I thought we had worked things out privately. I never imagined he would air our dirty laundry to the world.” Mew felt his face flush as his sadness transformed into anger. 

“That’s so messed up!” Gulf’s eyebrows were squeezed together in a comically upset expression. “He should have kept everything private. Not only did he paint you as some kind of monster, but he also outed you in an industry that is stupidly somehow homophobic. That’s not OK!”

Mew was a little surprised by Gulf’s insight. Many people tended to gloss over the fact that  _ he who shall not be named _ had, in fact, confirmed to the world that Mew was not straight. Most people were more concerned with imagining him as some type of predator who had groomed his younger co-star and assaulted him than about the fact that Mew had been outed. 

“No, it wasn’t OK, but that’s what happened. I guess you probably know the rest, and how messy things got after that?” Gulf nodded, so Mew continued. “You have to believe me when I tell you that I had no intention of making him uncomfortable. I thought he loved me back…” Mew snapped his mouth shut. He had never admitted his true feelings to anybody, not even his mother, whom he was very close to. 

If Gulf was affected by this revelation, he didn’t show it. “I believe you, P’Mew. You just don’t seem to be the type of person who would do that. I don’t know why, exactly, but I trust you.” The young man’s eyes were so eager that Mew wanted to believe him, even though it seemed reckless for Gulf to trust him so blindly. 

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that.” Gulf paused as if waiting for Mew to say something. “Do you have any other love experiences you wanted to talk about?”

Mew barked out a laugh. “Later,” he said. “It’s your turn now. Why don’t you tell me about your most recent experience with love.”

Gulf shrugged. “I’ve been with my girlfriend for a couple of years now. We share a condo, but a lot of the time, we’ll each spend the night with our families instead. We’re both busy with school, she’s busy with her modeling work, and now I’ll be busy with this.”

Mew couldn’t figure out why his heart panged at this bit of news. He reminded himself that he was absolutely not going to fall in love with another costar. Now that he knew that Gulf was taken, Mew hoped it would be even easier to guard his heart.

When Gulf didn’t say anything more, Mew pressed on. “So, your current love experience sounds like it’s good. Any heartbreak in the past?”

“Not really. I dated a few girls before Poom, but nobody serious.” He shrugged again. 

Just then, P’Mame came over and said, “OK, you guys have been doing a great job with this exercise! Let’s break for lunch before doing more skinship this afternoon.”

Once Gulf pulled his hands out of Mew’s, he felt an inexplicable loss.

They got up off the floor and Mew asked Gulf if he could sit by him while they ate. He was met with yet another shrug. “Sure.” Mew wondered if he had ever met somebody who shrugged as much as Gulf.

* * *

After lunch, Mew asked Gulf if he could hug him while they waited for further instructions from P’Mame or P’Tee, the director. Gulf just nodded and stood there without stretching his arms out. Mew wrapped his arms around the thin young man’s shoulders in a giant bear hug and pulled him to his chest. 

While Gulf didn’t reciprocate, he didn’t fight the affection, either. It was like hugging a teddy bear that was an inch taller than him. Mew hoped that Gulf would warm up to him in the next few months before filming started, but at least he was floppy rather than stiff. That was as good a place as any to start with skinship. 

The rest of the day was a mix of team-building exercises with the whole group and activities for just the two of them. Mew always asked Gulf for permission first, but he initiated handholding or hugging more and more often as the day progressed, and Gulf never resisted. 

Mew discovered that when he hugged Gulf from behind, the kid,  _ no, younger man - no kid is this tall, _ would relax and lean into him. The pose was also handy because it allowed them both to look in the same direction at whoever was talking. Mew made a mental note to back hug Gulf as often as he allowed. 

* * *

At the next workshop, Mew decided to take the back hug idea a little bit further. When Gulf arrived that morning, Mew waved him over to where he was sitting. Mew knew that Gulf liked to stay up late playing video games, so he wasn’t surprised that his eyes were half-closed.

Mew lightly grasped Gulf’s wrist. “Gulf, would you feel comfortable sitting in my lap?” Without hesitating, Gulf plopped into his lap, then leaned back and rested his entire weight on Mew’s chest. Despite his height, Gulf was surprisingly light, and his weight felt comforting to Mew. 

Unsure of what to do with his hands at first, he asked, “Are you ticklish?” 

“No. You can touch my tummy if you want,” Gulf replied with a lift of one shoulder.

Mew took that as an invitation and gently squeezed the small pouch of belly fat. A thrill shot up Mew’s spine as he realized that Gulf’s stomach was like a stress ball. “Is this OK?”

“Yeah. If it makes you happy, squish away.” Mew grinned and kept squishing until he heard a change in Gulf’s breathing. “Gulf?” he whispered. No response. 

_ Did he really fall asleep while I was playing with his stomach? _

Just then, P’Mame walked in. Her steps faltered when she saw Gulf in Mew’s lap, but then she smiled and winked. Only then did Mew look around and realize that the other actors were giving them funny looks. 

_ Who cares what they think? We need to get close to each other so we can look natural on screen. As long as Gulf is OK with it, why does it matter what anybody else thinks? _

That evening, P’Mame assigned various groups of actors scenes from different movies that they would act out during the next workshop. Of course, Mew and Gulf were paired together. They were assigned a scene from  _ Call Me By Your Name _ , an American BL film. 

* * *

At the workshop a few days later, Mew was looking forward to re-enacting the scene from  _ Call Me By Your Name _ with Gulf. He was really curious how this probably straight boy would react when doing a love scene. 

Their skinship exercises had been going well, but it was a big stretch to go from hugs and handholding to pretending to kiss. He smiled when he remembered how red Gulf had gotten during the kiss part of their audition.

When it was their turn, Mew slid into his character of Oliver and watched Gulf’s face change as he became Elio. They spoke the first few lines of dialogue, then Gulf approached him for the kiss. Mew was expecting Gulf to come in at an angle for a fake kiss, since that’s usually what actors did during workshops. 

Before he had time to think, Gulf's plump lips were on his. In character as Elio, Gulf's kiss was demanding and eager. Mew, ever the professional, went with the emotion of the kiss in the scene. He broke character for a moment when he felt a stirring in his pants, but he slipped back into Oliver as Gulf pulled away.

Suddenly, Mew was aware of the gasps, giggles, and whispers from the cast and crew who had seen the whole thing. Rather than feeling embarrassed, Mew became angry.  _ How dare that kid surprise me like that! We video chat every night - the least he could have done was warn me. _

Mew didn’t want to cause a scene at work, so he shoved his emotions down deep, finished the scene, and tried to get through the rest of the day with a fake smile plastered on his face. 

He managed to keep his anger buried until their video chat that night, when he let loose on a seemingly confused Gulf. "Why would you do that? Don't you know that nobody kisses for real during workshops? What kind of newbie am I acting with?" 

Mew knew he was shouting, but he couldn’t help it. The embarrassment of being caught off guard was fresh in his mind hours after the fact.

Gulf scowled. "Why are you mad at me? We'll be kissing in front of cameras in a couple of months. And I’ve seen your sex scenes from your last series, so I don’t understand what you’re upset about." 

"It's the fact that you surprised me! I take my work very seriously, and I don't appreciate being surprised." Mew can see the hurt and confusion in Gulf's eyes.  _ That poor boy really doesn’t understand what he'd done wrong. _ He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. Just…Warn me next time will you?" 

Even on his small phone screen, Mew could see Gulf’s ears turning red. 

"I really need to practice kissing you for real before we start shooting. It wouldn’t look good if I got all red and shy when we were filming. Would it be OK if we kiss for real during workshops?"

Mew sighed. Gulf had a good point, though. If they got used to kissing each other during workshops, the sex scenes would look more natural by the time they started filming. 

“Yeah, that’s OK. Just don’t surprise me like that again in front of everybody. Warn me first.”

Gulf nodded vigorously. “I promise.” 


	5. Gulf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about the workshops and the filming of the Tunwalai teaser from Gulf's POV. How does he feel about rehearsing the kissing scenes, plus all the skinship he and Mew are doing off-camera?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference video:  
> -Tunwalai x TharnType https://youtu.be/TNl7EKObrt0

###  Gulf 

As much as Gulf hated getting up early to go to work, he had to admit that he looked forward to hugging Mew every day. He'd never experienced full-body hugs like that before. Well, at least not since he was a young teen. His dad wasn't much of a hugger, and his  _ Mae _ was short. 

Being hugged by Mew, who was nearly as tall as him but broader across the chest, or sitting in his lap was a novel experience. It made Gulf feel tiny - something he hadn't experienced since his last growth spurt now that he was over 6 feet tall. 

Rehearsing the love scenes was much different than Gulf expected. P’Tee told them EXACTLY how we wanted them to move, all the way down to how they kissed. Gulf had never considered the importance of camera angles before, not to mention how they needed to limit their use of tongue to mind the show’s rating. Type really enjoyed kissing with tongue, and Gulf found himself struggling to reign Type in.

Still, the first time Mew rested his body on top of his when they were kissing, Gulf was surprised by his body’s response. He would never admit this to anybody - well, except the one person he couldn't hide it from - but he got excited. That had to be normal, though, right? Mew seemed totally unfazed and after rolling off of him just said, “It happens,” with a shrug. 

Gulf figured it was really Type's boner pressing into Tharn's abs. How Type reacted to the situation was out of Gulf’s control - or so he told himself. 

Although he was losing weight for the role and no longer had a chiseled six-pack, Mew's flat stomach was a thing of wonder compared to Gulf's own soft belly, which Mew called his " _ poong ka tee _ " - coconut milk tummy. Gulf didn't want to admit this, either, but he loved it when Mew patted, poked, or pinched his belly. He had never been ticklish, so it didn’t make him laugh. Instead, it made him feel warm inside. 

Mew had told him once that he liked squishing his belly because it reminded him of a stress ball, and sometimes he wasn’t even aware that he was doing it. Gulf reassured him - yet again - that he truly didn’t mind. He didn’t admit just how much he enjoyed it, though.

Another one of Gulf’s favorite skinship exercises was when they got to sleep together. As in, actually sleeping. Gulf loved to sleep, and he could sleep anywhere, anytime. 

But when they were asked to nap together on the blankets they rehearsed their bed scenes on, Mew’s arms around Gulf felt more comfortable than any blanket or pillow. He couldn’t decide which he liked best - sleeping with his head on Mew’s chest, or being the small spoon with both of them curled up on their sides. 

During one workshop, P’Mame asked Mew if he could pick up Gulf. She was hoping to use that in one of the love scenes. Besides, it was a popular fan service, so P’Mame pointed her phone at Mew and Gulf to get some behind the scenes footage she could post on Twitter. It might help get more people interested in the series. 

Gulf knew that Mew was strong, but he assumed that his height and weight would be too much for him to pick up. To Gulf’s surprise, Mew locked his arms under his butt and picked him right up off the floor, seemingly without putting any effort into it. 

Gulf giggled. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been picked up. It must have been when he was a small child. He raised his fists over his head as Mew twirled him around - Gulf felt like Superman. But also - he felt safe, like nothing in the world could hurt him as long as Mew was around. 

* * *

Gulf fidgeted in the makeup chair while reviewing his scripts for the day. Today, he and Mew would be shooting scenes that would be used for a long teaser trailer that would interest fans and potential sponsors in TharnType the Series. 

He was nervous because this teaser would be most people’s first introduction to the show as well as him and Mew as Type and Tharn. After all, people who read the novel had very specific ideas about how Tharn and Type looked and acted. 

Gulf didn’t want to let anybody down with his depiction of Type. He was already taller and had a more fair complexion than Type did in the novel, so he felt extra pressure to make sure his acting overcame that shortfall.

To make matters worse, they were filming Gulf’s individual scenes first, and Mew hadn’t shown up yet. Gulf really could have used a hug before shooting started. The hairstylist started fussing at him, so he tried to stop fidgeting and focus on his lines.

Just as Gulf’s hair and makeup were finished and he stood up to go to the set, Mew walked in. Gulf wanted to run to Mew and throw his arms around him, but he found that his feet were rooted to the spot. Mew smiled and strode across the room, then wrapped Gulf in a big hug.

Gulf relaxed into the embrace as Mew whispered, “You’re going to do great today. We went over the scripts last night, and you had all your lines down pat. Just relax and let Type do his thing. Today should be fun.” With that, he gave Gulf one last tight squeeze before releasing him.

With a smile, Gulf said, “Thanks, P’Mew. I’ll see you later. Are you ready for the shower scene?” Gulf winked at Mew and laughed as he followed a production assistant to the set.

* * *

“Cut!” 

Gulf swallowed down a scream of frustration. How hard could it be to act like he was reading messages from his friend Techno about how Tharn was gay? He had filmed ten takes already, but after each one, P’Tee said that he was rushing the scene, or going too slow, or not emoting enough. 

Gulf suddenly pictured Mew’s mysterious eyes and found the focus to do one more take. Finally, it was good enough for P’Tee and P’Mame, and they could move on to another scene. 

The next scene was one where he got to destroy Tharn’s things and trash the dorm room. Gulf was able to put all his pent-up frustration into that scene, and they got it in one take.

That was his last solo scene, so he got to take a break while Mew filmed his solo scenes. They passed each other in the hallway, and Mew reached out a hand and gently grabbed Gulf’s wrist.

“How did it go?” Mew asked. 

Gulf shrugged. “OK, I guess, except for that scene where I was messaging Techno. Acting is a lot harder when there aren’t any lines.”

Mew smiled. “I’m sure you did great. Grab a bite to eat. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Feeling giddy for no reason, Gulf practically skipped toward the snack table.

* * *

It wasn’t long before Mew plopped into a chair next to Gulf. “That was fast,” Gulf said.

“Don’t you remember trashing the room half an hour ago?” Mew laughed. “I trashed it some more, and now the staff needs to clean it up before we can keep filming.”

Gulf’s ears turned red. Of course, he hadn’t thought about that. 

They were quiet for a moment before Gulf spoke up. “I probably shouldn’t be eating anything right now. If my stomach is full, it’ll just make my belly pop out more, and I’m - we’re - going to be shirtless later.”

Mew reached over and jiggled Gulf’s  _ poong ka tee _ . “Don’t worry about it. You’re perfect the way you are. Besides, the fans will be too excited by how steamy the scene is to care. Also,” Mew paused to wink, “They’ll be too focused on my arms and pecs to notice your tummy.”

Gulf swatted at Mew. “You’re so full of yourself!” He couldn’t help but laugh. He knew that Mew was actually shy about his body, even though he was aware most other people admired his muscles. 

* * *

After a few scenes together, including a couple where they almost kiss, it was time for the shower scene. 

Gulf hugged himself after he took his shirt off. He hated that the crew could see him topless. He forgot his worries when Mew took his own shirt off. Gulf had an idea of what Mew’s muscles must look like after spending so much time basically feeling him up during workshops. But to see those muscles like this...Gulf gulped.

He stepped into the shower, faced the wall, and crossed one arm across his belly and another across his chest. He sensed Mew’s presence behind him - even without touching, Gulf could feel the heat pouring off of Mew’s body. 

When P’Tee called “Action,” Mew placed his hands gently on Gulf’s arms, then slid his long fingers down to Gulf’s waist as he closed the distance between them. Gulf shivered when Mew’s pecs pressed into his back and his hands settled on his hips. He could feel Mew’s breath on his neck even before he rested his chin on Gulf’s shoulder, and Gulf’s breath hitched.

Gulf slid a hand down his own face, then his chest, pretending to wash himself as Mew slid a hand across his belly and placed a kiss on his bare shoulder. Gulf turned his head toward Mew and the camera as a small smile flitted across his face, then Mew placed a tender kiss on his cheek. 

Even though they had spent months kissing each other during workshops, these kisses where they were both topless felt so much more intimate, and Gulf was glad that he was wearing pants instead of just boxers. Hopefully, the crew wouldn’t see just how much he had enjoyed filming such a short scene.

All too soon, P’Tee called, “Cut,” and Mew stepped back away from Gulf, who suddenly felt chilly. 

“Great job, guys,” P’Tee said. “We got it in one take. You both did well today. I think this is going to turn out really good.”

As Mew put his shirt back on, Gulf felt disappointed, but he wasn’t sure why.


	6. Mew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty short, but it starts hot, with the first NC scene, and ends kinda sweet. It's mostly about MewGulf reacting to the Tunwalai teaser. I hope you enjoy it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference video:  
> -TunwalaixTharnType Teaser Reaction by Mew and Gulf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScDyIylzon4

Mew had been fighting a hard-on ever since filming the shower scene with Gulf, and now that he was alone in his car driving home, he groaned as most of the blood from his head rushed to his cock. He palmed himself over the thick fabric of his pants, resentful of the long drive home.

He had been so good about not having those kinds of thoughts about Gulf all through the workshops. Mew always reminded himself that Gulf had a girlfriend at home, so he tried not to get too caught up in rehearsing the explicit scenes, and he was usually good at leaving his attraction to Gulf at the door when he left work.

But seeing Gulf half naked had done things to Mew that he wasn’t prepared for. After months of trying to ignore it, he finally had to admit that he was very attracted to Gulf. Worse than that, Mew really liked Gulf as a person, especially now that he was starting to take down his walls.

Gripping the steering wheel, Mew clenched his teeth.  _ I am not going to fall for another costar, damn it! Especially one who is not only probably straight, but also definitely taken. _

Regardless of what his brain said, Mew’s heart wasn’t really on board with the idea of keeping Gulf at an arm’s length for however long they had to work together. His cock DEFINITELY wasn’t on board with that idea.

When he finally got home, Mew tried to take a cold shower to calm down, but it didn’t help. His soapy hand was too much of a temptation.

Gulf’s soft torso, squishy belly, and plump lips filled Mew’s head, and for the first time, he stopped trying to chase the thoughts away. He finally allowed himself to give in, promising that those thoughts would stay in the shower and wouldn’t follow him to work - or his nightly video call with Gulf in about an hour.

Grabbing his large cock with one soapy hand, Mew imagined it was Gulf’s beautiful lips on him instead. Mew moaned and knew he wouldn’t last long with that image in his head.He remembered the way that Gulf’s plump ass had fit so perfectly into the curve of his own hips and he imagined spreading his ass cheeks and burying himself inside Gulf all the way up to the hilt.

Mew sped up his strokes as Gulf’s baby voice danced around his mind. “P’Mew, P’Mew, P’Mew,” the voice whined. “Fuck me harder, Daddy.”

With a strangled cry, Mew came all over the wall of his shower. His orgasm was so violent that it brought him to his knees. As he kneeled on the cool tile, he wondered how he was going to kiss Gulf practically every day for the next few months without being able to ravage him after work.

* * *

Mew and Gulf didn’t have any work together that week, and Mew tried to focus on his thesis for his Master’s degree. He wouldn’t have much time to finish it once filming started. 

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Mew looked forward to the nightly video chats with Gulf that week more than ever since they wouldn’t see each other until the worship ceremony. Afterward, they would be able to watch the teaser they had just filmed.

Truthfully, they didn’t need to keep up the nightly calls anymore. They had read through the entire novel together and gotten to know each other. Mew had taken most of the bricks out of the walls Gulf had built around himself, and Gulf had also managed to remove most of the bricks Mew had built around his heart.

They no longer had the pretense of reading the novel or getting to know each other to justify talking every night. And, for this week at least, they didn’t even need to rehearse scenes the night before filming them. 

The idea of not talking to Gulf before bed each night made Mew feel empty. Still, he felt he should offer Gulf the chance to back out of their evening routine. One night, he asked Gulf if he wanted to stop the nightly calls. Mew instantly regretted asking the question, because hurt and confusion were etched onto Gulf’s face.

“Why do you want to stop? Do you not want to talk to me anymore? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no, I don’t want to stop our nightly calls. I just wanted to see if you did. Because we don’t really have to do it every night if you don’t want to. But if you aren’t sick to death of me already, then I would love to keep it up.”

Mew smiled as relief washed over Gulf’s face. “I like talking to you every night, Phi. I feel like I can tell you anything. My day just doesn’t feel complete until I’ve told you about it. I never want to stop talking to you.”

At those words, Mew felt tingly inside. “I don’t want to stop talking to you either, Gulf.”

Gulf grinned, and they continued their conversation even more relaxed than before.

* * *

The worship ceremony was a chance for the entire cast and crew to get together and pray for filming to go well. As much as Mew was focused on the ceremony, he was also wondering how the teaser had turned out and how Gulf would react to seeing it.

After the main part of the ceremony, P’Mame ran over to Mew and Gulf with two phones in her hand. Mew recognized one as hers, but he had no idea who the one with the dangling earbuds belonged to.

“I want to film you guys reacting to the teaser,” she said as she pointed her phone at them and shoved the other phone into Mew’s hand. 

Mew put one earbud in his right ear and handed the other to Gulf before focusing on the small phone screen. Within a few seconds of the video starting, Mew could feel Gulf’s nervous energy through the way he teased Mew about his smile in the opening shot. 

Wanting to calm Gulf’s nerves, Mew rested his hand at the back of Gulf’s neck where it met his right shoulder. Gulf seemed to shiver under his touch, but his nervous energy calmed down a bit.

Since they hadn’t touched each other in more than a week, Mew felt like his internal battery was being charged through his hand where it rested on the border between the smooth skin of Gulf’s neck and the rough collar of his shirt. 

He wondered if he could keep his hand there during the entire teaser. Since sharing earbuds and focusing on a tiny phone screen meant they had to stand really close together, it would look natural to hold Gulf close like that. Mew figured he would be able to tell if Gulf became uncomfortable, so he decided to leave his hand on the back of his neck for as long as he could.

“This scene I did 11 takes,” Gulf said when an image of him in his soccer uniform came on screen. Gulf had mentioned to Mew that filming the texting scene had been difficult since there was no dialogue, but he hadn’t mentioned the scene had needed so many takes.

As the video went on, Mew and Gulf continued teasing each other, and Mew was relieved that Gulf wasn’t taking this teaser too seriously. He knew that Gulf had worried about making a good impression for the fans, and Mew didn’t want him stressing about something he couldn’t go back and fix.

Mew was surprised when Gulf said that he hadn’t been allowed to eat during the scene where he was attempting to eat dinner. “Spoon almost to my mouth,” Gulf said wistfully.

“You were hungry, weren’t you?” Mew remembered that Gulf had been hesitant to eat much that day since he was worried about the shower scene.

“But the director said don’t eat!”

Mew couldn’t help but tease him. “Because you ate a lot in the morning!” Gulf’s laugh made Mew’s heart feel warm.

As the teaser transitioned into the scene where Type was having a nightmare, Mew gave Gulf’s neck a few reassuring squeezes. Mew knew how hard that scene had been for Gulf to film. He was happy when Gulf made fun of himself rather than reliving the difficult scene.

Remembering how hard it had been to pick up Gulf, Mew said, “It’s so heavy. My waist was almost hurt.” Gulf laughed as Mew continued. “And you didn’t help me at all when I pulled you up.”

As strong as Mew was, picking up dead weight while seated on the edge of a bed had put a strain on his back, and he had complained to Gulf about it later, who claimed he didn’t know that he should help sit himself up. However, the glint in his eyes when he said it suggested to Mew that Gulf knew exactly what he was doing and just wanted to test Mew’s strength.

Gulf was a little too proud of himself when he said, “I left myself in bed and waited for you to pick me up.”

“My waist was hurt,” Mew whined.

He wasn’t sure what to make of the sound Gulf made as the scene where they were in bed and almost kissed came on the screen. It sounded like embarrassment. Mew smiled and squeezed Gulf’s shoulders. He remembered how awkward he had felt watching his own first kissing scene.

As the credits rolled, Mew couldn’t help but sing along to the track. 

“Your voice is the same as in the telephone,” Gulf said.

“What about the telephone?” Mew couldn’t figure out what Gulf was talking about.

“Voice in this telephone,” Gulf replied while pointing at the screen.

Confused and irritated, Mew said, “Of course! That is my voice!” Mew had rehearsed the song on their nightly video call a few times, so he knew Gulf was aware that he was the one singing the credit song.

“Yes. So I told you that it’s the same.”

“You’re teasing me, right?” Mew rolled his eyes. Gulf sure had a strange sense of humor sometimes.

“Yessss.”

As the credits continued, Mew wondered if the shower scene would play afterward, and how it would look. All Mew could think about was what he had done when he had gotten home after shooting that scene. He had no concept of how the shot may look.

“Aaaaaaahhhhhh!” The sound slipped out of Mew’s throat before he could stop it when their bare torsos appeared on the screen. He squeezed Gulf’s shoulder, then leaned into him and laughed as their darkened silhouettes came close to kissing. 

Mew wasn’t usually shy about seeing himself in kissing scenes, so he figured he was feeling embarrassed on Gulf’s behalf. After all, Gulf certainly had never seen himself on screen kissing anybody, much less another man.

When asked how they felt after watching the teaser, both men answered, “I feel tickled.”

“Are you impressed?”

“It’s good,” they both said with a smile.

“I don’t know, I just feel tickled,” Gulf whined. “When I saw my face in the teaser.”

Mew laughed, feeling shy enough for both of them.

“Does P’Mew sing well, Gulf?”

“Think before you speak,” Mew warned. He had worked too hard rehearsing that song for Gulf to tease him about it.

“Great! Great! Great!” Gulf replied while laughing. “This song has a lot of high notes, so it’s difficult, isn’t it?”

Mew was pleasantly surprised that Gulf had remembered him talking about that. “Yes, very high. I have no idea what I have done in the teaser. Please look forward to watching this teaser. It’s very cute.”

When P’Mame stopped recording, she took both phones and dashed away, leaving Mew and Gulf alone.

Gulf turned and collapsed into Mew’s arms. “Phiiiiiiii,” he whined. “That was so awkward. I’m so excited to see myself on the screen, but my family wants to watch every episode with me, and all my friends are going to watch, too. I feel so shy at the thought of everybody seeing me like that.”

Rubbing his hands up and down Gulf’s back, Mew replied, “Like what?”

All Gulf did was reply with a huff. Mew stayed quiet until Gulf found his words. “Exposed,” Gulf finally said. Mew wanted to ask him to elaborate, but he decided to leave it be for now. He rubbed Gulf’s back for a few more moments before Gulf pulled away and slunk away to a corner while pulling his phone out of his pocket.


	7. Gulf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter talks about how Yai Nong and Khun Phi started and dives into how Gulf's feelings for Mew are developing in ways that confuse him. Chapter 7 is short, but it ends with a bit of a bang! ;-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference videos:  
> -Yai Nong https://youtu.be/dtLr_bBbLCg  
> -Recording "Hold Me Tight"

###  Gulf

A couple of weeks later, Gulf and Mew were at a recording studio for a photoshoot and for Mew to record the acoustic version of “Hold Me Tight.” Gulf hung out in the recording studio while Mew sang. 

If the series did well, they would probably end up singing the song together as a duet during fan meets. Since Gulf couldn’t read music and wasn’t confident in his singing ability, he thought it would be good to hear Mew sing it. As a bonus, he got to see how the whole recording process worked. 

Mew sang like an angel, and Gulf couldn’t take his eyes off of him. Not only did it seem like magic that he could look at a sheet of paper and know what to do with his voice, but he got a peaceful, happy look on his voice while he sang.

After they had gotten several clean takes of just Mew singing, P’Mame asked Gulf to try to sing along so she could record it for behind the scenes footage. He still didn’t really know the melody or lyrics, but he sang a few lines the best he could, and Mew encouraged him without teasing him too much. 

_ Maybe learning how to sing this song won’t be so bad if I have Mew to help me. _

Once Mew was finished recording, they had a few minutes to kill before the photoshoot started. Gulf stood on the edge of a small platform in the recording studio and Mew came and wrapped his arms around him. 

It was strange being half a head taller than Mew and looking down into his eyes. Usually, their eyes were pretty level with each other. Their height was close enough that who was taller any given day depended on the shoes they wore. 

As Gulf leaned into Mew, he teased him about memorizing his lines before shooting started. Gulf claimed that he had already read the novel 11 times by now, but he crossed his fingers to indicate that he was lying. 

Mew laughed. “You act like my kid brother sometimes. Are you sure you’re 21? I should start calling you  _ Yai Nong _ .”

With a giggle, Gulf said, “If I’m  _ Yai Nong, _ you’re  _ Khun Phi _ .”

Gulf was vaguely aware of P’Mame whipping out her phone to record the interaction between him and Mew. He was a little bit embarrassed about being called  _ Yai Nong, _ but more than anything, he felt honored that Mew had given him a pet name. 

He looked down into Mew’s eyes and felt like he was falling down a well. His heart skipped a beat as he wondered what that meant.

* * *

The day before filming started, Gulf was surprised to find Poom lounging on the sofa in lingerie when he got to their condo after class.

“I didn’t know you would be home tonight,” he said.

Poom slinked across the room toward him. “I can leave if you want,” she whispered right into his ear. Gulf’s ears were one of the most sensitive parts of his body, and her breath sent a shiver down his spine. He slid his hands around her waist and kissed her.

“No, I’m happy to see you.” Gulf slid his hands down around Poom’s curvy ass and pressed her body close to his.

“I’ve missed you,” Poom whined as she raked her hands down Gulf’s back. Her kisses became urgent and demanding. Gulf found himself thinking about how her kissing was so different from Mew’s. Well, Tharn’s, technically. Poom’s kisses felt needy, while Mew’s,  _ Tharn’s, _ were gentle and made Gulf,  _ no, Type, _ feel cherished.

Suddenly, Poom was pulling down his pants. She palmed his length through his boxer shorts, then said, “I know you’ve been busy and tired lately, and it’s late tonight. Let me take care of you.”

Before Gulf could speak, Poom yanked down his boxers and dropped to her knees. She couldn’t fit much of him in her tiny mouth, even while he was still mostly soft, but she was generous with her lips and tongue.

Gulf ran his fingers through Poom’s hair, then suddenly remembered something that had happened at workshops a couple of weeks ago. During the lunch break, Mew had located some strawberries, and Gulf had marveled at the fact that Mew could fit a whole giant strawberry into his mouth all at once.

He groaned as he imagined what Mew’s large mouth would feel like on him compared to Poom’s small one.  _ Would he be able to deep throat me? _ That thought paired with the memory of Mew’s shirtless torso sent blood rushing down to his cock.

_ Wait, why am I thinking about Mew right now while my gorgeous girlfriend is sucking my dick? _

Gulf tried to focus on stroking Poom’s hair, but it seemed too long for some reason. During workshops, he had had to practice running his fingers through Mew’s short hair for a romantic scene, and he brought that memory back to mind while placing his hands around Poom’s head and giving up on her hair.

His body was finally responding, but he wasn’t sure whether it was reacting to Poom’s attention or his thoughts of Mew. Gulf suddenly recalled the shower scene he and Mew had workshopped, where Tharn gave a blowjob to Type.

Since the show had to mind the TV rating, the scene wouldn’t be very explicit. However, Gulf squeezed his eyes shut and gave over his mind to the image of Mew going down on him the way Tharn went down on Type in the novel. He still remembered how much he and Mew had giggled while trying to skim through the NC scenes during their nightly video chats.

He pictured Mew swallowing his entire length while looking deeply into his eyes and caressing his ass like it was the most precious thing on Earth.

Gulf’s breath was knocked out of him by his explosive orgasm. He couldn’t remember ever coming so hard in his entire life.

Once Poom had sucked him dry, Gulf’s legs gave out and he collapsed on the floor. Poom had a satisfied look on her face, but Gulf felt a pit in his stomach. Who was the real cause of his orgasm - Poom or Mew?


	8. Mew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filming has finally started, and Mew is happy to be able to cuddle with Gulf every day - until they have their first big fight, the one where they were shooting in the shopping mall. What caused the fight? Read on to find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference video:  
> -filming: https://youtu.be/kyn19dwdASs

###  Mew

The night before the first day of filming, during their usual video call, Gulf was more fidgety and distracted than usual.

“Are you ready for filming tomorrow?” Mew asked. 

Gulf groaned. “I can’t believe we have to be there at 6 am. Who wakes up that early? I’m glad  _ Mae _ is going to drive me so I can sleep on the way there.” 

Mew chuckled. Gulf sure did love his sleep. He also liked to stay up late playing video games, which would be a bad combination while they were filming from 6 am to 10 pm nearly every day for the next couple of months. 

“I’m glad you’ll be by my side,  _ Khun Phi _ . I don’t know if I could have done this with anybody else. You’ve taught me so much and been so patient with me and made me comfortable around you.”

A slow smile spread across Mew’s face. “Nobody else could have been my Type but you, Gulf. You’re a gifted actor, and I find it easy to be Tharn when I’m with you.” Mew’s words were the truth. Acting with Gulf felt more natural than any other role he’d had yet. 

Gulf’s ears were turning red, and it made Mew’s heart kick in his chest. After a long pause, Mew said, “Get some sleep tonight,  _ Yai Nong _ . Tomorrow is going to be a long day.” 

Gulf nodded in agreement. He waved at Mew and said, “Good night  _ Khun Phi _ .”

Mew waved back with a grin and said, “Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.” He didn’t want to admit to himself just how much he was looking forward to long days cuddling and acting with Gulf during filming. 

* * *

Mew was already seated in front of a makeup artist when Gulf dragged himself through the door. He plopped into Mew’s lap and curled up so that he wouldn’t get in the way. 

_ How can such a tall man make himself look so small? _ Mew gazed fondly at Gulf and resisted the urge to stroke his hair. 

“Good morning,  _ Yai Nong _ ,” Mew said. “Did you stay up late playing video games, even after I told you not to?” 

Gulf merely grunted in response. With a laugh, Mew said, “As much as I enjoy having you curled up in my lap like my dog, I think hair and makeup are ready to get started on you, and they can’t do that with you in my lap.”

With a groan, Gulf slid out of Mew’s lap and into the chair next to him. 

“ _ Yai Nong _ .” 

Gulf grunted to indicate that he had heard Mew.

“Do you want to run lines together while we’re getting our hair and makeup done? Then we’ll be more ready for shooting.” 

“ _ Maeeeee _ ,” Gulf whined. “Do you have my script?” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Mew saw Gulf’s mother approach from the corner of the room as she dug the script out of her bag. 

_ Interesting. Gulf mentioned that his mother would be driving him today - is she planning on staying the whole day? He’s 21 for crying out loud. _

Mew wondered who was more attached. Was the mother too attached to let go of her adult son, or did Gulf enjoy being pampered so much that he was in no rush to fully grow up?

As the two men practiced their scenes together while getting their hair and makeup done, Mew marveled at Gulf’s professionalism. Despite appearing to be half asleep, he remembered his lines and slid into the character of Type without any problems. 

Filming with Gulf turned out to be a breeze. He hardly ever flubbed his lines, and he followed P’Tee’s directions to the letter. Mew was relieved. Even though he hadn’t been especially worried since Gulf had been so dedicated during workshops, filming was very different, and the nerves could have gotten to Gulf and made the whole process a nightmare.

The morning flew by without a hitch. That afternoon, they filmed a scene with Mild where Type was unconscious as Tharn and Techno sat on the bed near him and talked. 

Mew was really glad that Mild had gotten the role of Techno. Mew had been friends with MIld for many years, and they had even worked on the first season of Mew’s last series together. 

Mild provided the same comic relief in real life that Techno offered in the series. Filming could be stressful, so having a friendly, funny person like Mild around from time to time would help make the long days feel a little easier.

Secretly, Mew also hoped that Mild would be able to take down a couple of the bricks in Gulf’s walls. The entertainment industry could be brutal, and Mild, who was friends with everybody, could help smooth the path for introverted Gulf. 

In the middle of a long take, Mew noticed that Gulf’s breathing had changed and become louder. Had Gulf actually fallen asleep? Mew exchanged a look with Mild, but they managed to stay in character until P’Tee called, “Cut!” Then, the two collapsed into a fit of laughter. 

P’Tee rolled his eyes. “Good job, guys. That take should do it. We’ll reset for the next scene, with just Mew and Gulf, and start in a couple of minutes.”

Mild sprang out of the bed. “This kid is such a good actor; that’s the most realistic sleeping I’ve ever seen!” He threw his head back and laughed. He walked around the bed and clapped a hand on Mew’s shoulder. “I’m going to take a break. Good luck filming the next scene with Sleeping Beauty!” He was still cackling as he left the room.

A production assistant handed Mew a mini fan. He used one hand to point the fan at himself while he lightly gripped Gulf’s wrist with the other. Touching Gulf helped him re-center himself to get out of character and come back to being Mew from Tharn. 

When P’Tee said it was time to wake Gulf up for the next scene, Mew gently shook his shoulder. Gulf shifted his position but didn’t wake up. Mew started patting his arm. “Gulf, wake up. We have to start.”

With his eyes still closed, Gulf replied, “And I have to speak too, right?”

“Yes,” Mew replied while still patting Gulf’s arm.

Finally, Gulf stretched and opened his eyes. Mew was surprised that Gulf got right into character without flubbing any lines, and the rest of the day went smoothly. 

* * *

The first few weeks of filming went well. Mew hugged or held hands with Gulf as often as he could, and Gulf even started to initiate skinship himself, sitting in Mew’s lap whenever possible and back hugging him from time to time. 

Mew hated how much he craved Gulf’s touch. The last thing he needed was to fall in love with his  _ probably _ straight and  _ definitely _ not single co-star. But he couldn’t help it. Hugging Gulf sent a wave of endorphins through his body that nothing else could replace. 

One night, Mew video called Gulf at their usual time, but he didn’t answer. Mew frowned. They had talked every night for the last four months, and Gulf had always answered his call. He sent a message through LINE.

“You busy?”

Mew fidgeted as he waited for a reply. Chopper, his Pomeranian, picked up on his anxiety and started prancing and whining. Mew idly patted Chopper’s fluffy head. 

Was Gulf OK? Was he hurt or sick? They hadn’t shot together that day and hadn’t spoken since the previous night. What if something was wrong with him?

Half an hour later, Mew’s fear turned into anger. 

_ What if he’s ignoring me because he has something better to do? He’s so inconsiderate! _

Worry and anger flashed back and forth through Mew. He sent another message.

“Everything OK? Please message me back when you see this. I’m worried about you.”

Eventually, Mew went to bed, but he hardly slept. He kept checking his phone, looking for a reply from Gulf, but none came. 

* * *

The next day, they were filming at a shopping mall. Mew was relieved when Gulf plopped into the makeup chair next to him, but that relief was replaced by anger. Gulf didn’t seem sick or injured. Why hadn’t he bothered to message him back to let him know he was OK?

“ _ P’Mew _ , do you want to run lines together?” Gulf sounded like his usual sleepy morning self.

“No.” Mew kept his answer short. He didn’t want to air their personal problems in front of the staff. 

Gulf’s hairstylist made a sound of irritation when he whipped his head toward Mew. “What? Why not? We always run scenes together when we’re getting our hair and makeup done.”

Mew couldn’t keep the steel out of his voice when he replied, “Because I don’t want to talk to you right now.” He saw the shocked expressions on the hair and makeup people, but he didn’t care. He was too angry at Gulf’s irresponsibility and lack of concern for how much worry he had caused him. 

The room was eerily quiet as the men finished getting made up. Mew reviewed his script so he would still be ready for his scenes. After all, he was a professional. He didn’t need to run lines with anybody else. 

They were shooting a scene in a department store, where Tharn and Type were supposed to be buying bed sheets. Gulf was visibly flustered and kept messing up his lines. After half an hour, P’Tee called for a break. Mew stalked off toward the makeup room and was annoyed to feel Gulf tugging at his bicep.

“I don’t know why you’re mad at me,” Gulf whined, “But whatever I did wrong, I’m really sorry. Please talk to me, P’Mew. I’m sorry.”

Mew shook off Gulf’s touch and buried his nose in his script as soon as they reached the makeup room. Gulf sighed and picked up his own script. 

P’Mame came into the room and pulled Mew aside. “I don’t know why you’re fighting with  _ Yai Nong _ ,” she said - most of the staff had adopted Mew’s nickname for Gulf - “But you need to get over it and practice the lines with him. He’s acting like a whipped puppy, and he’s so distraught that he can’t focus.” 

She gave Mew a look that meant she was serious. “We can’t be here all day reshooting this one scene, Mew. Whatever your problem is, you need to get over it.” P’Mame gave Mew another look, then left the room. 

Mew sighed and shuffled over to Gulf. “Do you want to run lines together?” When Gulf looked up, Mew was surprised to see tears in his eyes.

“I don’t know what I did to make you so mad at me, but I’m really really sorry. Please forgive me.” Gulf was using a baby voice that Mew rarely heard from him. 

Mew blew out his breath and said, “Why did you miss our video chat last night? You couldn’t even be bothered to return my messages! Do you know that I was up all night worrying about you?” He knew he was raising his voice, but he couldn’t help it. He was glad that the staff had left them alone in the small room. 

“ _ Shia _ . Shit. I forgot to take my phone charger with me when I visited Poom at her modeling shoot, and my battery died. We got home really late and I was tired, so I plugged in my phone and immediately fell asleep. I’m really sorry, P’Mew. Please don’t yell at me anymore. I really hate it when people yell at me.” 

Feeling deflated, Mew let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry for yelling at you. It’s just that I was so worried.”

“You were really worried about me?” 

The innocence in Gulf’s eyes melted Mew’s heart. “Yes. We’re friends by now, right?” Gulf nodded. “I worry about my friends. I thought something bad might have happened to you.”

“I’m so sorry Boo,” Gulf said in the tiniest of voices.

Mew laughed. “Boo?” 

Gulf giggled. “Most of the cast and crew think we’re a couple. Why not play it up and tease them all?”

With a chuckle, Mew said, “If I’m Boo, that makes you  _ Bii _ .” He felt a tug at his heart as Gulf glowed at the feminine endearment.  _ Maybe he isn’t so straight after all, if he’s willing to embrace  _ Yai Nong _ and  _ Bii.

“Let’s run these lines. I’m hungry, and I can’t wait to get to our next scene at the restaurant.”

Gulf’s face glowed. Suddenly, he knew all his lines after all. 

* * *

Later, at the restaurant, Type was feeding salmon to Tharn, who hated it but pretended to enjoy it for Type’s sake. In fact, Mew loved salmon, so he was in an excellent mood by the time they finished shooting that scene. 

When they had finished their scene together and the crew was getting ready for the next scene, Mew pulled Gulf into his lap and squished his  _ poong ka tee _ . Aware of the phones that nearly everybody in the cast had whipped out of their pockets and pointed in their direction, Mew whispered directly into Gulf’s ear. “I’m sorry,  _ Yai Nong _ .” 

Gulf’s glowing grin was enough for Mew to know that he had been forgiven. 


	9. Gulf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers a lot of ground, and honestly - I think it's my favorite chapter so far. What caused the big fight before they went to Koh Samed to film for the special episode? How did they reconcile? How did Gulf feel about filming that love scene so soon after their fight? And what was going through Gulf's mind on the last day of filming? Buckle up for this one!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference videos:  
> -the fight before/at Samed: https://youtu.be/__lNQsflp54  
> -explicit scene from special episode starts at 1:08:14: https://youtu.be/aZML0Zxqz2g  
> -last day of filming: https://youtu.be/9qFybwl9uE0

###  Gulf

As much as he hated the long hours, Gulf loved filming with Mew. Between the scenes, Gulf got all the cuddles and back hugs he desired. It was all under the pretense of skinship since P’Mame was always recording behind the scenes footage for Twitter and Facebook. He never admitted to anybody how much he craved Mew’s touch, but he had a feeling Mew knew.

And during the scenes - Gulf shivered at the memory of the first kissing scene they had filmed. 

Type was supposed to be passed out drunk and unresponsive to Tharn’s advances, but Gulf kept kissing Mew back. He argued: “Drunk people do what they want, right? Wouldn’t Type respond to Mew’s touch?” 

P’Tee had agreed on a compromise - Type could use his hands, but he couldn’t kiss back. It took 45 minutes to shoot that scene because Gulf lost himself in Mew’s kiss so much that he kept forgetting not to kiss back. As much as he tried to convince himself it was really Type relishing Mew’s kisses, Gulf suspected that wasn’t the whole truth.

Gulf had even been dreaming about the sex scenes. Mostly, he was remembering them the way they were written in the novel, which was more explicit than the show would be, except it was him and Mew acting out the scenes instead of Type and Tharn. Luckily, the dreams mostly happened when Poom was at her parents’ house, so she never caught him having a wet dream like a teenager. 

Poom came to the condo for a date the night before the TharnType cast was set to go to Koh Samed for a few days to shoot. P’Mame had rented a whole ferry and an entire resort for the cast and crew to use.

“You’ve been so busy lately,” Poom whined as she crossed the room to where Gulf was sitting on the sofa. She straddled his lap and kissed him before he could reply. 

“I’m sorry,” Gulf said as Poom trailed her kisses down his neck. He sucked in a breath as Poom’s lips reached Mew’s -  _ no, Tharn’s _ \- favorite spot on his neck, where the muscles met the collarbone. 

Poom snuck her hands under Gulf’s shirt and ran them over his chest before lifting the shirt over his head. “Tonight, you’re all mine,” she said. “No video chat with Mew. No talking about filming. Tonight is going to be just the two of us - and I plan on making you so tired that you’ll sleep the entire ferry ride tomorrow.”

“I need to send P’Mew a message to let him know I can’t talk tonight.”

“No!” Poom snatched his phone off the end table and stood up. “Honestly, you don’t need to talk to him every single damn night! He can live without you for one evening.” She stalked across the room and buried his phone in the bottom of her purse. 

“Poom,” Gulf sighed. “You have to at least let me message him. He worries about me. I’ll just shoot him a quick message saying I can’t talk tonight. Then, I’m all yours.”

Poom straddled his lap again and pressed him back into the sofa. “No.” She stared daggers into him for a moment before latching onto his mouth. 

Gulf tried to resist for a moment, but the taste of Poom’s lips made him forget about Mew. 

That is until he removed Poom’s blouse and bra. He used to love fondling her breasts, but tonight, they just seemed wrong; too squishy. 

_ Stop thinking about Mew’s pecs! _

If he was acting any differently than usual, Poom didn’t seem to notice, at least not at first. Gulf did his best to go through the motions, but his body didn’t want to respond. 

_ Mew is going to be so angry at me tomorrow. _

Gulf thought he could hear his phone vibrating in the bottom of Poom’s purse, although it was on the other side of the condo. Poom seemed to sense his distraction. She stood up and removed her skirt and panties, then pulled Gulf off the sofa and yanked down his pants and boxers. Then, she dragged him to the bedroom.

She shoved him backwards toward the bed, and he collapsed onto it when the backs of his knees hit the edge. Poom straddled him and kissed his neck. “Why aren’t you hard yet?” she snarled. “Are you still thinking about HIM?” 

Gulf sighed and stroked her arms. “I’m just tired. You know how hard I’ve been working.” 

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” she said as she grabbed him too hard to be pleasurable. 

“Ouch! You know I don’t like it when you get rough!”

“Come on, I NEED you tonight. I want you to fuck my brains out. Show me that you still love me!”

Poom’s aggressiveness did not have the effect she had hoped, and Gulf felt more turned off than he could ever remember feeling with her. 

Gulf looked into her eyes. “Poom, stop.” He shook his head, knowing there was no hope for tonight.

He could practically see flames shoot from her eyes. She leaped out of the bed, then ran to the living room and started dressing as quickly as she could. “Poom, I’m sorry…”

“No. You don’t get to be sorry,” she snapped at him. She finished buttoning her blouse, then said, “I’m going home. You need to think about what you really want, Gulf.”

With that, she snatched her purse and stormed out the door. 

Gulf stared at the door after she slammed it, and only one thought ran through his head:  _ Damn it. She still has my phone. P’Mew is going to be pissed. _

* * *

The next morning, after a long, sleepless night, Gulf’s mom picked him up from his condo before dawn. She was taking him to the location where the cast was meeting to pile into vans to drive to the pier for the ferry. She slipped him his phone as they walked to her van. “Poom dropped this off at the house late last night,” she said.

Gulf sighed. “Thanks,  _ Mae _ .” He debated about whether or not he should try to message Mew. He decided against it, figuring it would be better to apologize in person in less than an hour. 

When Gulf arrived at the meeting spot, Mew was hiding behind dark sunglasses, despite the clouds. He turned away when Gulf tried to approach him. Gulf persisted until Mew looked at him with a clenched jaw and shook his head. 

Gulf felt deflated. Mew was too angry to even yell at him; he was giving him the silent treatment like a child. As they piled into the van, Gulf headed for the back seat, while Mew sat toward the front. Gulf got comfortable under the blue and white checked blanket he had brought. 

Despite how sad he was that Mew was upset, he was exhausted from his sleepless night, and the motion of the van lulled him to sleep.

Somebody shook him awake when they stopped at a rest area. Run was shooting a vlog titled, “Run Around with TharnType.” With a camera in his face, Gulf tried to smile and act like his world wasn’t falling apart. Mew stood near enough to him to share the video frame, although Gulf felt the absence of his touch. 

When they reached the pier and were waiting for the ferry to arrive, Mew sat at a small table with the actor who played Type’s father, while Gulf found a nearby swinging bench. With his blanket balled up in his lap, he decided to play a game on his phone to pass the time - and try to distract him from looking at Mew’s broad back.

He tried to plaster a smile on his face when Run came over with his camera. Gulf joked about sleeping during the entire van ride, so he hadn’t seen any of the scenery. 

Run asked him if he gets seasick, and he replied that he hadn’t spent much time on boats, so he wasn’t sure. He wished Run would leave him alone to wallow in his misery without being forced to put on a happy face. 

When asked about the scene he was filming tomorrow, Gulf said he hoped the weather cleared up, because he was supposed to kiss Mew while the sun rose, and they would only have one chance to get the shot right. 

P’Mame arrived from out of nowhere and said, “I’m warning you again; I rented the boat and closed the hotel for this queue, so if you can not play, I’ll hit you.” She was joking - mostly - but Gulf wasn’t looking forward to acting like he was in love with somebody who wouldn’t even look at him. He could only hope that Mew would forgive him before dawn the next day.

* * *

Thanks to the stormy weather, the ferry ride was bouncy, and most of the cast and crew got seasick, including Gulf. Unlike some, he hadn’t thrown up over the side of the boat, but he felt like that could change at any moment. He wished he could crawl into Mew’s lap, but Mew had made it a point to sit as far away from him as possible. 

As he was getting off the ferry, he heard somebody shouting to get his attention. He turned his head to see Mew looking at him - along with Run, holding the vlog camera. “Hey! White shirt - are you OK?” Mew called. Gulf nodded and gave a thumb’s up for the camera. “You are OK, really?” 

Gulf gave another thumb’s up. He wished Mew sounded more sincere. From a distance, it sounded like he was hamming it up for the camera. 

By the time Gulf made it to the vehicle that would take them from the ferry to the resort, the only remaining seat was next to Mew. Of course, everybody would have assumed they wanted to sit together, since they were almost always side by side. 

The misery didn’t end after the short drive to the resort. Run still had his camera going while everybody went together to see their rooms. The last place Gulf wanted to be was in Mew’s room with several other people and a camera when Mew didn’t even want to look at him, but he had to be there for the vlog. 

Part of him was glad that he, like so many others, had gotten seasick, because it gave him an excuse not to interact much with Run and Mew on the vlog. He shuffled around the room, mostly looking at his feet.

Gulf was relieved when he was finally allowed to lock himself in his room. He lay down on his bed and tried to figure out how - or even if - he could reconcile with Mew. 

* * *

Gulf was late to dinner, and he was disappointed - although not surprised - to see that Mew was surrounded by Mild, Run, and others. He shuffled off to a corner to eat by himself. 

_ How am I supposed to act romantic with somebody who won’t even look at me? _

Gulf then had another thought - later in the day tomorrow, they had to film a long-take sex scene. 

_ Great. Because those aren’t awkward enough to shoot as is. _

While he was chewing his last bite, Gulf heard Mew excuse himself by saying he had to go practice his scenes for tomorrow. Gulf swallowed, took a drink of water, then hurried after him.

“P’Mewwwwww,” Gulf whined. “Won’t you let me apologize to you? If not, will you at least set aside your anger long enough to rehearse with me? I don’t want tomorrow to be weird.”

Mew unlocked the door to his room, took a deep breath, then turned around. Gulf was surprised to see sadness in Mew’s eyes instead of anger. “Come in,” Mew mumbled. “Let’s talk.”

They settled on opposite corners of the large bed. “P’Mew, I’m so sorry I missed your call last night. I wanted to send you a message, but-”

“Then why didn’t you, Gulf? How long does it take to send a message saying, ‘I’m busy tonight’? All I ask is for a little common courtesy! I’ve told you how much I worry about you!”

Mew was yelling, and it frightened Gulf. He had never seen Mew so angry before. He swallowed, then whispered, “Poom stole my phone before I could send you a message.”

Mew rolled his eyes. “Why would your girlfriend steal your phone? What kind of excuse is that, Gulf? It doesn’t even make sense!”

“P’Mew, please stop shouting. You’re scaring me.” Gulf curled up into himself. He was starting to wonder if coming to Mew’s room had been a bad idea. 

After taking a deep breath, Mew said, “Please explain to me. What happened last night?”

Gulf sighed. How many of the awful details should he share?

“Poom came to the condo last night. She said I had to skip our nightly video call so I could focus on her instead. When I told her I had to message you to tell you, she took my phone and buried it in her purse. Then…” 

Mew looked intimidating with his muscular arms folded across his chest, and Gulf gulped. 

“Basically, we had a fight, and she stormed off with my phone still in her bag. She dropped it off at my parents’ house on her way home.  _ Mae _ gave it back to me this morning. Since I knew I was on my way to see you, I figured it would be better to apologize in person. I’m really sorry, P’Mew. I wanted to message you. I promise you I did. She didn’t give me any choice…” Gulf’s lip started to quiver and a tear fell from his eye. 

It was Mew’s turn to sigh. He crawled across the bed to Gulf and wrapped him in a big hug. “I’m sorry,  _ Yai Nong _ . I should have given you a chance to explain. I should have trusted that you had a good reason not to respond to my messages.” He brushed a piece of hair out of Gulf’s eyes. “Forgive me?”

“If you forgive me,” Gulf replied. Mew simply nodded and hugged Gulf for the longest time. 

Eventually, Gulf said, “Can we rehearse now?” When Mew agreed, Gulf went to his room to grab his script and returned in no time. 

They hadn’t been rehearsing for long when there was a knock on the door. Run was there with his camera. “P’Mew, you brought your guitar, right? Can I film you singing for the vlog?”

Mew let him into the room. “Oh, hi Gulf. I didn’t know you were here. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.” Run’s eyes darted back and forth between Gulf and Mew like he was checking to see if their clothes were rumpled or their hair was messed up.

Gulf waved. “It’s OK, we were just rehearsing.” 

While he didn’t recognize the English song that Mew sang, Gulf was captivated by the man’s voice and the smile on his face as he played his guitar. 

It was late when Run finally left, and Gulf and Mew had to report to hair and makeup at 4 am. Gulf found that he didn’t want to go back to his own room. 

“P’Mew?”

“ _ Uh _ . Yeah?”

“I’ve missed hugging you...Would it be OK if I slept here tonight?” Gulf was too shy to look at Mew to see his response.

With a sigh, Mew said, “Sure. But you have to take a shower first, and so do I. I can’t stand the thought of my sheets getting dirty.”

Once they had both showered and set alarms, they settled on their right sides, with Gulf as the little spoon cradled in Mew’s arms. 

* * *

When they had to film the sex scene the next day, P’Tee didn’t give them much instruction beyond the blocking. Apart from where they had to stand, sit, or lie down, they had pretty much free reign to kiss how and where they wanted, as long as they didn’t use too much tongue. 

The sexual tension between Gulf and Mew was palpable. It was getting harder for Gulf to ignore how attracted he was to Mew, and after their big fight, he suspected this scene would turn out a lot steamier than the others. 

As Mew followed Gulf into the bedroom with the cameras rolling, the scene started with Mew wrapping an arm around Gulf’s chest and kissing his back. Gulf tried to hide the shivers that ran up his spine at the feel of Mew’s lips through his shirt. Gulf covered Mew’s hand on his chest with his own, treasuring the feel of skin on skin that had been denied him for most of the day yesterday.

The feelings grew more intense as Mew moved his kisses up to Gulf’s neck and then his cheek. Mew’s breath grazed Gulf’s sensitive ear. He closed his eyes and felt his knees go weak. 

Gulf needed more. He turned around and placed his left hand on Mew’s shoulder, trying to ground himself and keep his head out of the clouds. He tried to remind himself that they were Tharn and Type right now rather than Mew and Gulf. 

Mew placed a hand on the back of Gulf’s head and drew him down to place a tender kiss on his forehead. Gulf could tell Mew was aiming to kiss his nose next, but that wasn’t enough. Gulf lifted his head so his lips could meet Mew’s.

Remembering the blocking, Gulf slipped Mew’s unbuttoned shirt off his shoulders. The first couple of times Mew tried to break the kiss, Gulf went in for more. No amount of kissing Mew would ever be enough. 

When Mew moved his kisses to Gulf’s neck, he could no longer chase Mew’s lips. Remembering the script, Gulf wrapped his arms around Mew’s neck so he could pick him up.

While Mew had picked up Gulf a handful of times since that first time in workshops, it had never felt sensual like this. It was a reminder that Mew was truly a man, and while that thought should have scared Gulf or turned him off, he found himself thrilled at the feeling it gave him to surrender control to a man while being intimate rather than being the one in control. 

Mew turned in a slow half-circle and placed Gulf on the dresser, then brought his lips to Gulf’s neck while he removed his phone and keys from his pocket. Gulf ran his hands up Mew’s bare arms, enjoying the feel of his smooth skin. 

Gulf lost himself in his feelings when Mew kissed the bridge of his nose, then his left eye. Somehow, those kisses seemed even more intimate than the ones that landed on his lips next. Gulf arched his back and leaned into the kiss, eager for more. 

Reluctantly, Gulf pulled Mew’s lips down to his neck so he could wrap his arms around Mew to be picked up again. Mew easily lifted Gulf off the dresser, then backed up a few steps to the bed. He sat down with Gulf straddling him.

While Gulf threaded his fingers through Mew’s hair, he felt Mew’s hands slide up his back under his shirt. He wished Mew could take the shirt off rather than fumbling around underneath it, but P’Tee didn’t want to expose Gulf’s belly. 

Gulf dropped his lips to Mew’s for a moment before bringing his kisses to his neck. Gulf gently pushed Mew backward onto the bed as he trailed kisses down Mew’s chest, frustrated by the fabric of Mew’s shirt keeping his lips from the salty skin Gulf wanted to taste.

Against his will, Gulf moved back up to kiss Mew’s neck. If he strayed too far from the blocking, P’Tee would call “Cut,” and the moment would be lost. He placed his right hand over Mew’s heart and felt the hard muscle of his pec underneath his palm. He pushed himself up and recited his line, “Want to switch roles? Might help change my dad’s mind.”

Mew,  _ well, Tharn, _ smirked and said, “Dream on.” While Tharn was always the top, Gulf wondered whether Mew was the same. He had a feeling Mew might be more versatile than Tharn.

Mew grabbed Gulf’s side and rolled them both over so he was straddling Gulf’s left leg. Gulf placed his hands on Mew’s bare shoulders and waited for him to say the next line. “Tonight...I’m going to be your husband.” Mew’s lips were only an inch from Gulf’s as he said the line with hunger in his eyes.

_ Was that really Tharn looking at Type?  _

Gulf’s breath caught as he recognized Mew’s eyes shining through his character. 

When Mew sat up to remove his tank top, Gulf felt the loss of his body on top of his, but he was awestruck by the sight of Mew’s bare chest and flat stomach. Mew bent down to give Gulf a quick kiss on the lips before dropping to his elbows to remove the distance between them.

Mew held down Gulf’s hip with one hand and tried to hold himself an inch above Gulf’s body. They had to mind the rating, after all. As Mew subtly started rocking against him, Gulf understood why Mew had placed his hand on his hip - it was to pin him down to prevent him from thrusting his hips up into Mew’s, which would ruin the take. 

Legs intertwined, Gulf tried to focus on stroking Mew’s feet with his own - anything to try to distract himself from his boner being pinned down by Mew’s hips and own erect cock. 

Gulf didn’t hear P’Tee call cut, and apparently neither did Mew. They were so lost in the moment that it wasn’t until somebody banged on a table that they broke from the kiss. They turned to look at the crew, who were all either blushing, giggling, fanning themselves, or turned away from the intimate scene in front of them. 

Gulf was too turned on to be embarrassed - but he was glad that P’Tee gave them a few minutes to cool down before doing the whole thing again with different camera angles.

In between takes, Gulf took a moment to consider what it meant that he was so turned on by Mew. As much as he tried to deny it, Type wasn’t the only one enjoying the intimacy. 

_ I’ll think about that another day. _

Gulf tried to think of boring topics to get his boner to go down so they could reset for the next scene. 

* * *

A few weeks later, it was the last day of filming. Gulf had woken up with a heavy heart. After today, he would hardly get to see Mew anymore. At least for the next couple of months, anyway. When it was about time for the series to air, there would be several months of promotional events, but until then, they had few reasons to spend time together. 

At the end of the day, as everybody was packing up, Mew wrapped Gulf into a tight hug. Gulf rested his head on Mew’s shoulder and let his sadness weigh him down. He felt Mew’s chin resting on his shoulder, too. 

Gulf found himself idly plucking at Mew’s shirt, unsure of what to do with his hands. He didn’t often hug Mew back, preferring instead to just let himself be enveloped by the warmth of his arms. 

Mew whispered, “It’s OK,  _ Yai Nong _ , this isn’t the end. We’ll still be friends, and there’s going to be plenty of promotional events and fan meets. There’s still time for you to get sick of me.” At that, Gulf smiled and patted Mew’s back as he reluctantly pulled away. He gave Mew one last sad smile as he wondered how long he would have to go without Mew’s hugs.


	10. Mew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that filming is over, Mew can allow himself to fully explore his feelings for Gulf. What was he thinking as he looked into Gulf's eyes when he picked him up at his graduation? What were they whispering about?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reference video:   
> -Mew’s graduation: https://youtu.be/D-_tBKVyfvk

###  Mew

Driving back home after the last day of shooting, Mew had to contend with a heaviness in his heart. 

_ Why does this feel so much like a breakup? _

As he sat through Bangkok’s stop and go traffic, Mew dared to explore those feelings for the first time. Now that he wouldn’t be seeing Gulf in person nearly every day for filming, it felt safe enough for him to take a deep look at how he really felt about his costar. 

For starters, Mew had stopped seeing Gulf as a kid a few months ago. Gulf was definitely a man, and a handsome one at that - even if he did seem to enjoy being babied. Mew had always loved pampering his favorite people, and he enjoyed fulfilling Gulf’s every request as much as he could - not that Gulf asked for much, at least not verbally.

Mew could usually tell what Gulf wanted just by looking at his body language or into his eyes. Gulf rarely initiated skinship, but Mew could tell by the way he looked at him when he was craving contact. When Mew hugged him or pulled him into his lap, Gulf would sigh and lean into him, and Mew could feel his muscles relaxing under his touch. 

Other times, like when Gulf was scowling at a game on his phone, he would shrug off Mew’s touches, so he had learned to leave him alone. Sometimes, especially when he thought nobody was looking, Gulf would slip his hand into Mew’s, seemingly craving contact that wouldn’t draw the attention of others. 

What scared Mew the most was how addicted he seemed to be to touching Gulf. The days they didn’t shoot together, it almost felt like he had a lost limb. Sure, Mew hugged his parents, sister, and most of his friends, but nobody’s touch soothed his soul the same way Gulf’s did.

Mew also looked forward to their nightly video chats, and he was glad they had promised to continue those. He had taken down most of Gulf’s walls brick by brick, and now they talked about anything and everything - almost.

Gulf rarely mentioned Poom, and Mew hardly ever asked about her. He figured it was none of his business. 

_ Plus, I hate the thought of him touching anybody else. _

As he crept forward a few more feet in the traffic, Mew decided to add up all the pieces of his emotions, and what he found terrified him. 

_ Damn it. I’m falling in love with him. _

He skirted around the idea that he had already fallen in love with a man who was already taken. Regardless of what his feelings were, he would never break up another relationship. He had been cheated on far too many times to ever be “the other guy.”

Now that Mew accepted his true feelings about Gulf, he realized that he would need to put on an Oscar-worthy performance every time they saw or spoke to each other. 

Mew sighed and slammed the heel of his palm into the steering wheel. 

_ Under no circumstances can I allow Gulf to know how I really feel. I don’t want to ruin our friendship, and we still have months of work to do together. _

He decided to create a little box in his heart. He shoved all his feelings for Gulf into the box and promised himself that he would never open it. 

* * *

“I’m sorry P’Mew, I can’t do our video chat tonight. I really need to have a date night with Poom.”

Mew felt a pang in his chest as he read the message. Of course his girlfriend would want to spend time with him. They had been crazy busy with filming, and now Gulf didn’t have to worry about much more than homework for a while. 

_ At least he did me the courtesy of sending me a message first. _

Mew didn’t have any homework to worry about right now. He had recently finished all the work for his Master’s degree, and he hadn’t started his PhD program yet. He switched on a Korean drama while he lay in bed, but he was too lost in his thoughts to keep up with it. 

_ What if Gulf decides to marry Poom - or somebody else - one day? Would I have the strength to attend Gulf’s wedding? _

At 21, Gulf was a little young to be seriously considering marriage, but Mew hoped their friendship would endure. Could Mew’s heart withstand seeing the man he loved marry somebody else?

Suddenly, Mew felt like he couldn’t breathe. It felt like there was a belt strapped around his chest, preventing him from taking in a full breath. As his breaths sped up, he wrapped his arms around himself and curled into a ball. 

He hadn’t had a panic attack in months, and he was struggling to remember how to calm down. 

_ Deep breaths. In two, three, four, out two, three, four. Try for longer. In two, three, four, five, out two, three, four, five. _

Once he was able to maintain a count of eight on each inhale and exhale, he felt his heart rate start to slow down, and the belt around his chest loosened up. 

_ I guess I have my answer about attending any potential wedding for Gulf - unless it’s our own. _

Mew swore under his breath. 

_ I’m in deep shit. _

* * *

On their next video call, Mew forced himself to ask Gulf how his date with Poom had been. After all, he still had to try to be the supportive Phi, no matter how much it hurt.

Gulf shrugged and darted his eyes to his left. “It was good. Hey...so, you know how you invited me to your graduation in a few weeks?”

Mew stopped breathing for a few seconds. He had really been looking forward to having Gulf with him that day. Now he was going to back out. 

All Mew could do was manage a nod.

“Poom was wondering if she could come, too. She could take pictures of us. The fans would probably love that, right? We’ll just act like friends, though. I know our ship will look better if the fans don’t know I have a girlfriend.”

Mew blinked. Was this better or worse than Gulf not coming at all? __

_ Be the supportive Phi. _

“Sure, that would be OK. The more the merrier, right?” Mew knew his smile wasn’t reaching his eyes - interestingly, neither was Gulf’s. 

Poom popped in the frame. “Thanks, P’Mew,” she said with a small wave and a big smile. “I look forward to meeting my boyfriend’s ‘work husband’ in person!”

Mew forced his smile to be bigger. “I look forward to meeting you, too.”

“I’ll let you two talk alone now,” she said. With a pointed look at Gulf, she said, “I’ll be waiting for you in the bedroom,” then winked. Gulf’s eyes followed her out of the frame, and Mew couldn’t read the expression in them.

Clearing his throat, Mew said, “Well, I guess I should let you go.”

Gulf frowned a little and darted his eyes to the left again. “I’m sorry P’Mew. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, sure,” Mew said while trying to sound nonchalant. “Have a good night.” He stopped himself from calling Gulf  _ Yai Nong _ while Poom could be listening and forced a wink, and Gulf giggled, a sweet sound that made Mew’s stomach flutter.

Suddenly, Mew was no longer looking forward to his graduation day.

* * *

In the weeks leading up to Mew’s graduation, Poom never reappeared in their video chats. Gulf didn’t mention her, and Mew didn’t ask about her - until the night before his graduation.

“ _ Yai Nong _ ...Is Poom still coming to my graduation tomorrow?”

He held his breath as he waited for Gulf’s reply. 

Gulf sighed. “Yeah. She says she wants to meet the man who’s been stealing all my free time for the last six months.”

“You don’t look very happy about that.” Mew felt his eyebrows coming together as he wondered why Gulf looked so sad talking about his girlfriend. 

“Things haven’t been going well,  _ Khun Phi _ . We still hardly ever see each other between her modeling and my homework. And when we do see each other…” Gulf took in a ragged breath. “We fight a lot. We never used to fight. And now we argue almost every time we see each other.” 

The next part Gulf said under his breath, so quietly that Mew almost couldn’t hear it. “Especially when she comes to the condo.”

Of course, Mew was sad that Gulf was struggling. He didn’t want to see Gulf get hurt, because he knew that he would feel Gulf’s pain right alongside him. But a tiny part of him couldn’t help but hope this was the beginning of the end for Gulf and Poom. 

_ Not that it would mean he would want to be with me, instead. _

“I’m really sorry to hear that,  _ Yai Nong. _ What do you need from me right now? Just somebody to listen, or do you want advice, or…?” Mew had learned not to offer unsolicited advice. People in general, and Gulf in particular, tended not to react well to it.

Gulf sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe let’s just not talk about it tonight? Maybe you’ll have some advice after you meet her tomorrow?”

Mew forced a smile. “Of course. How was your day today? Are you caught up on your homework?”

As they chatted, Mew couldn’t help but wonder how tomorrow would go.

* * *

The next morning, Mew went to make merit with his family before his graduation ceremony. He hadn’t announced it to his fans because he wanted a private moment with his loved ones before posing for his mewlions. 

_ Speaking of loved ones, I wish I had invited Gulf. _

Even if they were just platonic  _ PhiNong _ , friends, and brothers, Gulf was very special to Mew, and he wanted him to join in all his important moments. 

Gulf didn’t make it to Mew’s graduation in time to get in and see him get his diploma, but he and Poom were waiting outside with the fans when Mew got there. As promised, Poom was standing a respectful distance away from Gulf, near the other fans. She gave him a tiny wave that wouldn’t attract any attention. Mew gave her an equally small smile and nod. 

Before long, the fans were asking Gulf to join Mew for pictures. Mew draped an arm around Gulf’s shoulder, who tilted his head toward him. After they posed together for a minute, Mew asked Gulf how his studying was going. It seemed like a safe enough topic to discuss in front of the mewlions. 

Soon, the fans started asking Mew to pick up Gulf. Mew asked Gulf if that was OK, and he lifted his arms away from his body as an affirmative response. Mew was glad that Gulf didn’t hesitate, because he suspected that would be a popular fan service from now on. 

Mew tapped Gulf’s side a few times while he debated whether he could pick up Gulf without unbuttoning his suit jacket. He decided to give it a try.

Usually, Mew grabbed under Gulf’s butt for a better grip, but he couldn’t bend down far enough in his suit. Still, he was able to lift Gulf a few inches off the ground. Gulf wrapped his arms around his neck and grinned. 

Their faces were so close that their noses nearly touched. Mew felt his heart leap as he looked in the eyes of the man he loved. He could no longer deny it. He loved Gulf with all his heart, and it hurt that Gulf would probably never be his.

“Are you comfortable?” Mew asked.

Gulf’s grin got wider and he said, “I’m always comfortable in your arms, Boo _. _ ”

Before long, the buttons on Mew’s suit jacket felt ready to pop, so he gently set Gulf down. Gulf kept his arms wrapped around his neck for a few more seconds until he had regained his balance. Mew suddenly realized where his hands were placed, and he moved them up to Gulf’s lower back before releasing him. 

Once Mew was certain that Gulf was steady on his feet, he removed his graduation robe and unbuttoned his suit jacket. He pretended to stretch for a few seconds, then Gulf placed his hands on Mew’s shoulders as he prepared to be lifted again. 

This time, Mew was able to lock his arms securely under Gulf’s plump ass and lift him more than a foot in the air. Gulf slid his arms around his neck, and they looked deeply into each other’s eyes. 

“I’ve missed you the last few weeks,” Gulf whispered. “I think being in your arms is my favorite place in the world.”

Mew grinned and spun him in a slow half-circle. “I’ve missed you, too,  _ Yai Nong. _ My arms feel empty without you.”

Gulf had a strange look in his eyes - Mew thought it looked something like adoration, and Mew couldn’t help but grin. 

“If this is what fan service looks like, I could get used to this,” Gulf chuckled. “I feel like a princess in a fairy tale.”

_ Princess? _

For a moment, Mew was lost in Gulf’s eyes. His mewlions, his family, and Poom all disappeared, and he let his guard down and let his love show through his eyes. Mew wished he could stop time and live in this moment forever. 

Mew’s arms were starting to shake. “I have to set you down,” he whispered. Gulf shifted his grip to his shoulders while Mew put him down - then Mew promptly lost his balance and stumbled toward Gulf. 

Mew found himself grabbing Gulf’s butt cheeks while he regained his balance. They both laughed, and Mew stepped out of Gulf’s embrace while leaving one arm on the younger man’s lower back. 

They settled side by side, with Mew’s arm around Gulf’s waist and Gulf resting a hand on Mew’s shoulder, and they spent the next few minutes posing for photos. 

When Gulf eventually stepped away, Mew felt his absence immediately. The loss intensified when he saw Gulf walking in Poom’s direction. Even though he stood a distance away from Poom, it was a stark reminder that Gulf wasn’t his to hold and love. 


	11. Gulf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was Gulf thinking and feeling when Mew picked him up at his graduation? How does he react? This chapter covers that plus MewGulf's first big interview for TTTS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference video:   
> -First interview for TharnType: https://youtu.be/D-_tBKVyfvk

###  Gulf

Gulf’s mood soared when Mew picked him up. He almost laughed when Mew asked if he was comfortable. This was the most comfortable he had felt in weeks. Gulf could tell that Mew was struggling with his range of motion, so he wasn’t surprised when Mew put him down to unbutton his jacket.

The second time Mew picked him up, Gulf couldn’t help but admit how much he had missed Mew recently. “I think being in your arms is my favorite place in the world.”

When Mew smiled and said, “My arms feel empty without you,” Gulf’s heart stuttered, and as Mew turned in a half-circle, Gulf felt like he was being carried away by Prince Charming. 

As Mew set him down and planted his hands on his butt cheeks, Gulf was struck with a massive realization.

_ Oh shit. I’m in love with him. _

He looked at Poom and felt his heart sink. 

_ Now what? _

He didn’t have time to think about it for long, though. After taking pictures with Mew for the fans, his self-appointed job was to make Mew as comfortable as he could through the rest of this event. It was dreadfully hot that day, and Mew had to stand around looking sexy for pictures. 

After the mewlions had gotten plenty of photos of Mew by himself, Gulf got the mini-fan he had asked Poom to carry in her purse. Every chance he got in between photos, Gulf ran up to point the fan at Mew while using a tissue to dab the sweat from his face.

Usually, Mew was the one taking care of him. Gulf felt thrilled that he could repay all the kindness Mew had shown him by taking care of him for once. Mew often told him that he enjoyed taking care of Gulf, and now he understood better what Mew had meant. Gulf didn’t care how hot he was as long as his  _ Khun Phi _ was cool enough not to pass out in his dark suit.

After they said goodbye to the fans, Gulf, Mew, Poom, and some of Mew’s friends and family went to a classroom to decompress for a while so they could leave once the fans were gone. Gulf took off Mew’s tie, then sat in a chair with it in his lap. Mew pulled up a chair next to him, wrapped his arms around Gulf’s waist, and rested his head on Gulf’s back. 

Poom pulled out her phone and started recording. Gulf knew the fans would love to see him and Mew together behind the scenes like this, but he hated being physically - and emotionally - stuck between Poom and Mew. 

There was no way to know if Mew felt the same way about him, and Gulf was afraid that confessing his love would ruin their friendship. And he wouldn’t admit his feelings to Mew while he was still with Poom. 

Gulf realized that telling Mew how he felt could result in him losing both his best friend and his girlfriend - and that just didn’t seem worth the risk. 

_ I need to bury my feelings and work on my relationship with Poom. _

They had been together for more than two years, and she had been his best friend until he met Mew. He couldn’t just throw that away for a chance that his Prince Charming actually loved him back. After all, Mew could have anybody he wanted - male or female - and why in the world would he choose Gulf?

He resolved right then to try to fix things with Poom. It was only fair to her, and it was the safest way to keep Mew in his life. 

* * *

A few weeks after Mew’s graduation, the first episode of TharnType was set to air, and they had interviews starting early in the morning. Gulf was nervous because the first interview was live, and he and Mew were seated too far apart to get away with many of the innocent touches that helped him calm down. 

They had talked before the interview, and Mew had agreed to answer as many of the questions as he could. Gulf was still feeling too shy to becomfortable with interviews.

Before long, the TV show hosts were teasing him and Mew for looking alike and having similar mannerisms. He and Mew had heard it before, but it still got under Gulf’s skin. He didn’t think they looked that much alike, and they had spent so much time together during workshops and filming, wasn’t it only natural they would pick up some of each other’s mannerisms?

When the female host asked Mew whether he had taught Gulf anything about the kissing scenes, Mew placed his hand on Gulf’s thigh. Even through his jeans, Gulf could feel the warmth from his hand, and it spread throughout his body - especially when Mew replied that he hadn’t had to teach Gulf anything about kissing!

P’Mame had taken tons of behind the scenes footage during workshops, so everybody had seen how they kissed. Most actors didn’t kiss for real during workshops, so Gulf expected they would be asked about it a lot. 

Still, he was a little embarrassed when Mew said that sometimes Gulf was the one to lead the kissing scenes. The way the show hosts reacted made Gulf feel like people expected him to act like a prop rather than a person just because Type was the more submissive character in the relationship.

Then the hosts started arguing about the difference between a “leader” and a “top,” and Gulf wished he could crawl into a hole and die. Kissing a man on screen wasn’t a big deal to him, which is why he had felt comfortable auditioning for TharnType, but Gulf hadn’t fully realized what promoting the show would entail. He might have thought twice about that decision if he had known how awkward these interviews would be.

Gulf was so glad to have Mew by his side. He wasn’t sure how he would handle a solo interview.

Thankfully, the hosts moved on quickly. They had been on the set for some of the filming and had seen how he and Mew would hug each other after difficult scenes, and they asked what that was all about. Apparently, most other costars also didn’t usually comfort each other between takes. 

Gulf explained that they did it to get out of character. Hugging each other helped them become Mew and Gulf again rather than Tharn and Type. The hosts then asked if it was a way to communicate their emotions to each other. 

Mew placed his hand on the back of Gulf’s arm, and Gulf felt that familiar warmth return as Mew explained that when Gulf was sad from being in character, he would tell Gulf that he was still beside him.

Even though they had only known each other for half a year when they started filming, Gulf already used the thought of losing Mew to help him feel the emotion of the breakup scenes. Even if they were never more than close friends, Gulf couldn’t stomach the thought of living life without Mew by his side. He hoped that Mew felt the same way.

So that’s why they hugged each other after the hard scenes, but they couldn’t easily explain that during a short interview. Gulf was glad that Mew’s answer seemed good enough for the interviewers. 

After that, Gulf and Mew promoted TharnType a little bit, and the interview was finally over. 

Once they got to the green room, Gulf collapsed into Mew’s waiting arms. “P’Mewwwww,” he whined. “That was so much harder than I expected. Thank you for being by my side.”

He felt Mew smile against his cheek. “I’ll always be by your side,  _ Yai Nong _ .”


	12. Mew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers the reaction to episode 1 plus the interview they did first. They were both exhausted because it was at the end of a long day of interviews, but Mew still had some thoughts along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference video:   
> -MewGulf reaction to Ep 1: https://youtu.be/fFnF03glFxs

###  Mew

Later in the evening, they were on yet another show. This time, they were seated next to each other on a sofa to do an interview and react to the first episode. Because they had been doing interviews since early that morning, Mew was completely exhausted, and he could tell that Gulf was, too. 

Touching Gulf helped him feel recharged, so he sat as close to him as possible. He wanted to make sure at least their knees were touching, if not their thighs, hips, or shoulders. The more contact, the better. Mew also knew that the contact helped relax Gulf, too. They each held pillows in their laps to help hide how close their lower bodies were. 

Early in the interview, somebody said, “It seems like Gulf is sleeping.”

“I’m awake,” Gulf said.

Mew laughed. “He looks more sleepy in the series.” He slapped his thigh as he thought about doing the scene with Mild and having to ignore Gulf’s light snores when he was passed out drunk. 

“There is a scene that I sleep,” Gulf replied.

“Really sleep?” the interviewer asked.

Gulf nodded. “Really.”

“You’ll act very well in that scene.”

Gulf giggled while Mew said, “Gulf acts sleeping very well.” He smiled at the memory and scrolled through fan comments on his phone.

Gulf looked over his shoulder and read a comment out loud. “Gulf speaks like Siri.”

Mew threw his head back and laughed as he collapsed toward the back of the sofa, while Gulf’s laugh drove his head into his own lap. It was true that Gulf’s voice became more monotone when he was tired.

The exhaustion of the day set in, and Mew leaned against the back of the sofa for the next few comments and questions.

_ Who designed the sofa like this, with the back so far away? _

Gulf suddenly seemed too far away.

The interviewer read a comment out loud. “You’re so beautiful.”

Mew was looking at comments on his phone, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gulf turn and motion between the two of them. “Which person?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” giggled the interviewer.

Gulf turned to him and asked, “Am I beautiful?”

Mew didn’t want anybody to see the truth in his eyes, so he kept his gaze on his phone and said, “Beautiful.” He hoped it came across as a joke. 

_ Nobody, not even Gulf, needs to know that I think he’s beautiful inside and out. _

A few minutes later, Mew needed a recharge. He rested his head on Gulf’s shoulder for as long as he thought he could get away with under the pretense of skinship. 

After giving a preview about what to expect in episode one without spoiling anything, they were asked, “How do you overcome shyness when kissing each other?”

Looking at Mew, Gulf asked, “How to answer this question?” 

Fighting off fatigue, Mew waited for Gulf to remember that they were supposed to mention the workshops. After a few moments, Gulf turned to the interviewer and said, “We’ve attended training workshops.”

Mew nodded. “Yes, so we weren’t shy when we acted. There were also many factors that made us not shy. Such as sometimes we had a backache.”

To get the right camera angles, Mew often had to plank over Gulf for extended periods of time during their kissing scenes. Mew was very fit, but some scenes took an hour to shoot. He had suffered from back pain for a month after shooting the love scene in episode four.

The next question was, “Somebody asked which part of your couple’s body you thought is cute. Does Gulf think which part of P’Mew’s body is cute? Does P’Mew think which part of Gulf’s body is cute?”

Mew wanted to clarify: “Is the question for TharnType or MewGulf?” 

“MewGulf,” was the reply. 

Mew was curious to see how Gulf would answer, so he asked, “Which part of  _ Phi _ ?”

Gulf stared at him for too long while trying to come up with an answer, so Mew gave him a hint by framing his eyes with a peace sign. Gulf smiled. “Your eyes!”

Mew couldn’t help but grin at the relief on Gulf’s face when Mew had saved him from coming up with an answer on the fly. He knew Gulf hated not having time to think, and Mew could always tell when he was struggling. 

“Why?” he asked, just to see what Gulf came up with.

“They seem to have something when I look at them.”

Gulf turned back toward the camera as Mew asked, “Do my eyes have something?”

“Yes,” Gulf said. Mew couldn’t help but notice how Gulf turned away from him, the interviewer, and even the cameras as he answered. 

A few questions later, Gulf was asked what drink he would choose between chocolate and strawberry. Mew smirked. Gulf didn’t like sweets and mostly only drank water.

“Are there only two drinks to choose?” When the interviewer nodded, Gulf answered, “Chocolate.”

Mew added, “But if he could choose, he would choose none of them.”

Gulf smiled and nodded, clearly pleased that Mew remembered that detail about him. Mew remembered just about everything Gulf told him. 

Partly it was because it had taken Gulf so long to open up to him, and he only released small details about himself sporadically. Partly it was because they had worked together so much over the last 8 months that they knew a lot about each other. And Mew had to admit that part of it was because he had been falling in love with Gulf for months.

After promoting a t-shirt giveaway, they were asked, “What’s your first impression of the other?”

Gulf surprisingly answered first. “When I first saw P’Mew, he dyed his hair gold.”

Mew dropped his head and smiled. “It wasn’t gold color.”

Gulf looked confused. “What color then? It was gold.”

“It looked like inaccurate grey color.” Honestly, it had looked a little gold, but he had asked the stylist for grey, so he decided to stick with that answer.

Gulf, as usual, just went with it. “That’s it. I was confused. I also saw that you had your fan club with you. I remember it.” A funny smile came over Gulf’s face, and he said, “‘Wow! What a great person.’”

Mew dropped his head into his hand, embarrassed that that was Gulf’s first impression of him. 

“Thank you every fan who made me a great person,” he said to the camera. He said it as if he were joking, but his mewlions were the reason he had gotten the role - and the way Gulf had come into his life. He knew his life would never be the same.

Later came the fan question Mew most dreaded. “Is there any chance that you two will develop your relationship from now on?” He and Gulf both laughed, embarrassed. 

Gulf said, “It’s like a question from a reporter.”

Mew shook his head. Even if there was any hope that Gulf felt the same way he did, he would never admit it to the fans. His relationships were his own private business, and nobody else’s. “I’m afraid that I won’t answer this question.”

The people behind the camera laughed. Mew put his palm out as if to block the camera. Gulf mimicked him and dropped his head down as he replied, “Please do not ask me this question.”

Gulf wasn’t allowed to reveal that he had a girlfriend. They were both supposed to appear single - or with each other. No other partner was acceptable since it might make fans less interested in them and the series. 

“My manager had me answer to let nature take its course,” Mew said. That was a safe answer that would both satisfy the fans and prevent further questions about their love lives. 

After a few more questions, it was time to settle back and watch the episode. Mew pressed himself right next to Gulf so they were shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, and thigh to thigh. It was late and they were exhausted, and now they had to watch themselves act while they were being filmed. 

Mew knew that Gulf needed his touch as much as he needed Gulf’s. He felt Gulf lean ever so slightly into him, and Mew wished he could wrap him up in his arms. For now, leaning on each other was all they could do as they analyzed their performances and tried to enjoy the show. 

They laughed from time to time throughout the episode as they saw scenes they weren’t in or remembered something from filming. 

Mew hadn’t been there for a scene where Type asked Techno for ways on how to be a bad roommate. Knowing how much Mild liked to improvise, Mew had to laugh. Gulf had mentioned how hard it was to film with Mild since he preferred to stick with the script. 

Gulf started laughing, too. “Multiple takes, but they weren’t the same.”

Mild was hilarious, and Mew couldn’t stop laughing. He felt bad for Gulf having to deal with Mild’s improvisation, but he had comedic timing and wit that couldn’t be beat.

During the kissing scene toward the end of the episode, Mew became fidgety, and he felt Gulf squirming next to him. 

That scene had been difficult not just because Gulf kept kissing back when he wasn’t supposed to, but because Mew was uncomfortable with the idea of kissing somebody who was passed out drunk and couldn’t consent. He understood why the scene was important, but watching it back was awkward.

It was also uncomfortable because Mew missed kissing Gulf, who was pressed against his side. Now that they were done filming, they were no longer allowed to kiss each other. Mew hadn’t realized quite how much he missed it until he saw it.

The next time he looked over at Gulf, he noticed that his ears were red.

_ Interesting. Is he missing our kisses, too? Or is he embarrassed that the whole world could now watch them kissing? _

Mew figured he would never know. He certainly didn’t intend to ask. After all, Gulf was with Poom, and Mew wouldn’t dare get in the way of their relationship - no matter how much he loved Gulf.


	13. Gulf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We've finally reached Gulf's birthday, and there's a lot of good stuff in this chapter. I hope you enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference videos:   
> -Big Gulf Day: https://youtu.be/huP_q-nLJts  
> -BGD clips w/subtitles: https://youtu.be/NNk83VqU7FU

###  Gulf

The next month and a half was a whirlwind of interviews and events. With each episode of TharnType that aired, the more popular the show got, and by extension, the more popular Mew and Gulf became. 

They were referred to as Mew and Gulf less and less frequently. Now, everywhere they went, they were MewGulf. While Gulf had been prepared for the idea of it all, the reality of his sudden fame and the success of the show was really overwhelming. Every day, he was more and more glad to have Mew by his side.

He and Poom hardly saw each other anymore, and when they did, they usually fought. He found himself talking to Mew more and more, even when they weren’t doing events together. As his birthday approached, Gulf realized that he didn’t want to spend it with Poom. He only wanted Mew by his side. 

One evening at the end of November, Gulf decided to ask Mew for advice during their nightly video chat. 

“ _ Khun Phi… _ ” he began. “I need some advice.”

“Of course,  _ Yai Nong _ . About what?” 

Gulf sucked in a breath. How could he describe his relationship problems without exposing that Mew was the cause of much of his unhappiness with Poom? Even if he broke up with Poom, he probably didn’t stand a chance with Mew. 

“I think I should break up with Poom.” Gulf wondered why Mew’s eyes went wide for a moment before his face went back to neutral. 

Continuing, Gulf said, “The thing is...We’ve been growing apart for a while. And now, I spend most of my time with you or talking to you, whether or not we’re working. I’ve tried to work things out with her, I really have. We’ve been together for so long...I really don’t want to hurt her, but...I think I need to break up with her.” Mew’s face became blurry through a haze of unshed tears.

Mew took in a deep breath. “I see. And...what type of advice are you looking for? Are you asking whether you should break up with her? Are you asking how to break up with her? How can I help you,  _ Yai Nong _ ?”

Gulf sighed. “That’s a good question. I guess...I guess I need reassurance that I’m making the right decision? That I’m not being rash?”

Mew pursed his lips. “How long have you been thinking about breaking up with her?”

When Gulf thought about it, their problems had started during the workshops or the early days of filming. “A few months, I guess.”

“That doesn’t sound like a rash decision.”

Gulf slowly shook his head. “You’re right. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. I just...I just don’t want to hurt her.”

Mew’s eyes went soft. “ _ Yai Nong _ ...sometimes you have to put yourself first. What is your heart telling you to do?”

As Gulf fidgeted and looked around the room, he couldn’t deny it any longer. He might not have a chance to be with Mew - but he definitely didn’t see himself having a future with Poom.

Gulf brought his attention back to his phone and sighed. “I have to break up with her. I’m not in love with her anymore.”

Mew’s smile was sad, but his eyes were tender. “Is there anything I can do, or advice I can give you, to make it go smoother?”

“I don’t want to tell her I’m no longer in love with her, if I can avoid it.”

Humming under his breath, Mew finally said, “Why do you think you fell out of love with her? If you can come up with the underlying reason, maybe that would hurt her less?”

Gulf gulped. He certainly wasn’t about to tell Mew that he had fallen out of love with Poom because he had fallen in love with him, instead. Suddenly, he knew a half-truth he could tell that would satisfy both Mew and Poom.

“We don’t have time for each other anymore. She’s busy with her modeling, and, well, you know how busy we’ve been. It looks like we’re going to be busy with TharnType and MewGulf stuff for a while. I think being so busy has caused us to drift apart, and that won’t get better any time soon.”

Mew’s smile didn’t reach his eyes when he said, “I think that sounds like a very good reason to break up with somebody.”

Sighing, Gulf said, “Yeah. Now I just have to work up the guts to actually break up with her.”

* * *

It was a couple of days before Gulf and Poom could coordinate their schedules and meet up at the condo. They sat on the sofa holding hands and looking at each other. Poom spoke first.

“Gulfie...I’m glad we finally have a chance to talk. I need to tell you something.”

Gulf gulped. 

_ Please don’t let her be pregnant! _

He nodded to show he was listening.

Poom sighed. “We just don’t have time for each other anymore. I support your career, I really do, but now that I’ve graduated from college, I want to pursue my modeling more. That will take away even more time. And if we don’t have time for each other...what’s left? Where is the time to love each other? Maybe we’d be better off as friends.”

All Gulf could do was stare. As much as he had stressed out about breaking up, he hadn’t expected her to initiate it. He found himself gulping for air. It was almost too good to be true - he could break up with Poom without breaking her heart.

“Please say something,” she said with a worried look in her eyes.

“You’re right,” Gulf finally managed. “We don’t have time for each other anymore. It’s not fair to you that I’m so busy, and it doesn’t look like my schedule is going to let up anytime soon. Most of the next three months are already booked.”

Poom nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Please don’t be upset, Gulf. We had a lot of good times over the last couple of years. I’ll never regret the time we spent together.”

Gulf smiled and pulled her into a hug. “We can still be friends, right?” Despite no longer being in love with her, he still cared about her. He felt her nod against his shoulder. 

They cried together for a while, then Poom packed up her things. As soon as she left, Gulf dialed Mew. “ _ Khun Phi _ , guess what?” 

* * *

Gulf had rehearsals for his upcoming fanmeet all day on his birthday. He still couldn’t believe that a few hundred fans were showing up in a few days just for him, without Mew by his side. He understood that most of their fans loved their ship, but he wasn’t used to the idea that people would like him just for being himself.

He had been disappointed to wake up that morning and not see any birthday wishes from Mew - not on social media, not on LINE, nothing. Gulf wondered whether Mew had forgotten. 

It was bad enough that Mew wasn’t coming to his fanmeet, not even to give him a good luck hug backstage. Gulf understood that work would sometimes prevent them from attending each other’s events, but he was really nervous, and knowing that Mew wouldn’t be by his side while he had to sing and dance in front of the fans made him sick.

After rehearsals were finished, Gulf went to dinner with his family. As they were finishing up, Mew sent a LINE message to Gulf.

“I’m sorry,  _ Yai Nong, _ I can’t do our usual video chat tonight. Something came up. Talk to you tomorrow.”

Gulf’s face fell. Not only did Mew forget his birthday, but he didn’t even have time to talk. As his eyes filled with tears, Gulf was glad  _ Mae _ was driving him home so he wouldn’t have to focus on the road.

When they got home, Gulf tried to distract himself with video games for a while before bed. It was almost midnight when he got a notification that Mew had uploaded a picture to IG.

It was a picture of the scene where Tharn tells Type he loves him for the first time, and Gulf smiled at the warm feeling he got when he remembered shooting that scene. Type had gotten butterflies in his stomach at the words, “I love you.” Despite his tough exterior, Type was really a softie, and Gulf loved being able to experience that moment through Type.

Gulf’s breath caught in his throat as he read the caption.

“HBD na  _ Yai Nong. _ I wish for you to be happy, do what you love, and meet good people. I’m really glad that we met this year. Things will be harder from now on. But don’t worry, because I will always be beside you. Let’s stay together for a long time.”

Dashing a tear from his eye, Gulf replied. “Yes,  _ Khun Phi. _ Thank you, too, for helping me with many things for a long time.”

He knew it wasn’t very eloquent, but words had never been his strong suit. Just then, Mew’s face lit up Gulf’s phone. He answered the video call and smiled.

“I thought you forgot about my birthday,” Gulf said.

Mew’s voice was soft when he replied, “Of course not _. _ You’re too important for me to forget. I just wanted to be the very last person to wish you a happy birthday. That’s why I waited until 23:59 to post the message.” 

Unsure what to do with all the emotions swirling inside him, Gulf laughed and said, “It’s way past your bedtime! I know you probably scheduled that IG post on HootSuite. So why are you still awake?”

Gulf’s heart nearly stopped when Mew started singing, “Happy Birthday.” He had never heard the song sung so beautifully before, and tears sprang to his eyes.

“I had to wait for that IG post before I could sing to you,” Mew said. “Do you know that I’ve been staring at my phone for the last 10 minutes just waiting for the moment I could finally call and give you my personal birthday greeting?”

Not wanting to admit to Mew that this was the sweetest birthday message he had ever received, he covered his feelings with humor. “So, what did you get me? Your present had better be extra special since you’re now late!”

Mew’s laughter was still ringing in Gulf’s ears as he drifted off to sleep a little while later.

* * *

A few days later, Gulf’s adrenaline was pumping as he took the stage with a song and dance for his fans. He had been working tirelessly on it, but he was self-conscious about his singing. The screaming of his fans helped him relax. They were here to cheer him on, after all. They didn’t care if his singing was a little flat.

He still couldn’t believe he was on a stage in front of people there just to see him. He even had a pair of backup dancers. When he first started modeling and doing commercials, he never dreamed he would end up here. 

Every time his fans cheered, he felt his system flood with serotonin. 

_ As much as I hate to sing, I could get used to fans screaming for me. _

After the song, he had to talk and answer some questions from the two MCs - one speaking in Thai, and the other translating into English for the international fans who had attended. 

Gulf hated this part. Even though he had been briefed on the questions ahead of time, he still hated just talking, especially without Mew by his side to answer some of the questions. 

After a few games with the fans, it was time for a costume change. Gulf was glad to get a minute away from the glare of the spotlights to grab a drink of water and fan himself. 

_ I really wish P’Mew was here with me. I would be less stressed and better able to enjoy interacting with the fans. _

After the costume change, the song he came out singing was a ballad, which was further outside his comfort zone than the uptempo song he had started his show with. Still, it allowed him to walk around the auditorium to get closer to some of the fans, and he liked that.

Once he finished the song, the MC said they had a surprise for him. They told him to look at the screen behind him, which showed a cute photo of a puppy. But then…

Mew’s smiling face lit up the screen. Gulf felt his pulse pounding in his ears as he watched the surprise message from the man he loved. 

“Happy birthday. I hope you will be very happy, meet only good people, and have lots of nice work and fan clubs. I’m sorry I can’t attend today. I would like to be next to you. I am very happy that we got to be TharnType and MewGulf that we are today. I hope we stay together for a long time. Everyone, I would like to ask you to take care of  _ Yai Nong na krub. _ ”

Gulf was so overwhelmed with emotions that he didn’t know what to say at first. His  _ Khun Phi _ had managed to be by his side after all, even though he couldn’t be there in person. Gulf got choked up at the thought that Mew had arranged this surprise video. 

When the video ended, Gulf gathered his thoughts and faced the audience. “He is already by my side; it’s OK that P’Mew can’t come today. Other days we are always around each other. I’m glad I met P’Mew...”

Suddenly, he heard Mew’s voice singing “Be Mine” from the TharnType soundtrack. Strangely, there was no backing track - Mew was singing a capella. Had he recorded the song as an additional surprise? 

_ He’s not actually here - is he? _

Gulf looked around, but he couldn’t tell where Mew’s voice was coming from. He spun around in a complete circle and even looked at the speakers overhead for a clue as to where Mew’s voice was coming from. 

The screaming of the fans made it even harder to locate the source of the singing. 

After a few lines, the backing track came on, and all Gulf could do was sway along to the beat until he figured out what was going on. Suddenly, a spotlight lit up a back corner of the auditorium - and there was his precious Mew, singing with the biggest smile on his face.

While Gulf knew the song was for the fans, he couldn’t help but feel like Mew was singing it directly to him. 

_ He loves me _ . 

Gulf wasn’t sure how he knew, but Mew surprising him at his birthday fan meet, plus his 23:59 birthday message on IG, signaled to Gulf that Mew shared his feelings. Gulf decided to be brave and ask him about it after the show - but he might not ask with words. 

As Mew walked down the aisle toward the stage, Gulf didn’t know what to do with himself. He was so overcome by his emotions that he turned his back when Mew reached his side. Gulf didn’t want the fans to see the truth shining in his eyes. 

Mew placed a comforting hand on his back and guided him around to face the crowd while he kept singing. Gulf decided to wave his free arm in the air to the beat and encourage the fans to sing along with Mew. 

Gulf knew that Mew should have been singing to the audience, but he noticed how Mew kept turning and looking at him instead. 

_ I’m not imagining it. He’s sending me a message. Now that I’m single - he’s letting me know that he wants what I want. _

He’d heard the song many times, and soon he and Mew would be singing it together in front of fans pretty regularly. Still, some of the lyrics popped out like they never had before. When the song got to the chorus, Gulf joined the fans and sang along with Mew. 

_ “I will not let you walk with anybody _

_ I will not let anybody stand by you _

_ No matter how long _

_ I will try to make you be mine _

_ Won’t let anybody love you.” _

On the last line of the song, Mew slung an arm around Gulf and gave his far shoulder a squeeze. 

_ Is this really happening? It feels like a scene from a movie. _

All Gulf could do was shake his head. He had a feeling that tonight was going to change his life forever. 

Gulf was still speechless, so the MCs and Mew stepped in to fill the silence while Gulf used a tissue to dab sweat from his face - and tears from his eyes. Eventually, he looked at Mew and said, “Someone is lying today.” 

While he was overjoyed, he had a better understanding of why Mew had been so upset when Gulf had surprised him with the kiss in workshops. The shock was overwhelming.

The MCs asked the audience if they wanted to see Mew pick Gulf up, so he lifted his arms to be picked up by the man he loved.

It was more like a big hug that just lifted him off his feet briefly, but it was enough for Gulf to feel swept away by the moment. 

The rest of the event was a bit of a blur. Mew complimented him on his new haircut and said he looked cute, which made Gulf feel shy. He used to hate being called cute, but coming from Mew, it felt like the greatest compliment he could receive. 

They played a game where they had to remove sticky notes from each other without using their hands. Gulf decided to swipe most of the sticky notes off of Mew’s body using his hair, instead of plucking them off one by one with his mouth, which was the true intent of the game. 

He had to use his mouth for the ones on Mew’s face, though, and he tried not to blush as he pictured what he would rather be doing with his lips so close to Mew’s face. 

Gulf definitely felt his ears get flushed when it was Mew’s turn to pluck the sticky notes off his face using his mouth. The staff had made sure to place plenty around his neck and mouth, and Gulf tried not to shiver in delight when Mew’s lips grazed his skin. 

Then there was a game with a blindfold, which was really just a way to surprise Gulf with Mild and Kaownah carrying flowers and Mew carrying a soccer-ball-shaped cake to the stage. When Gulf bent his head to make a wish, he wished that he and Mew could take a step forward in their relationship tonight. 

That wish felt like it could come true when Mew said, “From the first day, it’s amazing that we get to be together. The road forward may have obstacles, but I want to tell you that I will be right by your side. I am happy that you have so many fans who love you. Please love and support  _ Nong _ , everyone.”

Mew wanted to be by his side, no matter what. That made Gulf brave enough to try to take the next step forward together. 

Gulf replied, “Thank you for always taking care of me since January, from casting. At first, I had a barrier against acting in a BL series, and P’Mew is the one who broke the barrier so that the acting for TharnType came out this way. Thank you for helping me always,  _ Ph _ i.”

Mew surprised him with a birthday gift on stage, but Gulf wasn’t surprised that it was an action figure. It was a “safe” gift to exchange in front of the fans, since everybody knew that Mew collected action figures. Mew wouldn’t dare give him a personal gift in front of others.

At the end of the event, Gulf and Mew stood hand in hand and tossed the bouquets over their shoulders to the fans. Gulf was thrilled that the fans were happy, but he was also relieved when the show was over, and he could go backstage with Mew.

Back in the dressing room after the event had ended, Gulf asked his friends and family for a moment alone with Mew. The request was met with a mixture of eye rolls, shrugs, and confused looks. Gulf didn’t care. 

Once they were alone, Gulf slid into Mew’s arms. “Thank you for surprising me. It meant a lot that you came today.”

“I’ll always be by your side,  _ Yai Nong _ .”

Gulf looked into Mew’s eyes, then down at his lips, and started inching forward. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest as he waited to see whether Mew would pull back or meet him halfway. 

Finally, Mew’s lips met his, and Gulf felt Mew’s hand on the back of his head drawing him closer to deepen the kiss.

It was their first kiss in months, and Gulf didn’t want it to end. His family was all waiting outside the dressing room, though, so he reluctantly pulled away after a minute. Mew wiped a smudge of lipstick from above Gulf’s top lip and fixed his hair before leaning in and whispering, “Call me tonight. We need to talk.”

Gulf just nodded. He leaned in to give Mew a peck on the cheek before opening the dressing room door to let everybody back in. 

Now was the time to celebrate. Big talks could be done later. 


	14. Mew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we're getting somewhere! This chapter is a bit long, but I just couldn't bring myself to chop it up. It covers their big talk, the Shoppee event where they passed the paper back and forth using their mouths, and a few other small things. I hope you enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference videos:   
> -ShopeeXMewGulf Eng Sub Part 1: https://youtu.be/MnzkjLwGeM8  
> -ShopeeXMewGulf Eng Sub Part 2: https://youtu.be/taUurxalM4I

###  Mew

Mew had been planning to surprise Gulf at his fan meet since he had first told him about it many weeks ago. Mew had contacted Bester as soon as he could and requested to be part of the fan meet - without Gulf knowing.

But once Gulf had broken things off with Poom, Mew decided he had to do his best to woo Gulf, so he put all his heart into his appearance at the event. He sang the most important lines of “Be Mine” directly to Gulf, hoping he would understand that Mew meant every word that he sang.

In the dressing room afterward, Mew’s heart started to race when Gulf asked for a moment alone with him. He thought Gulf must be able to hear how fast his heart was beating when he collapsed into his arms. 

As Gulf pulled away from Mew, the look in his eyes made him gulp. 

_ This is too good to be true. _

Gulf dropped his eyes to Mew’s lips and started leaning closer. For once, Mew didn’t second guess his decision - he leaned forward and claimed Gulf’s lips. When Gulf kissed him back, Mew brought Gulf’s head closer and teased his lips open with his tongue. 

Kissing as Mew and Gulf was a hundred times hotter than it had been as Tharn and Type. Unfortunately, people were waiting, and they would ask too many questions if they were kept outside for long. 

Mew held back a sigh as Gulf pulled away. He plastered a smile on his face as everybody came back into the dressing room, and he tried to will his heart to slow down as he thought about the conversation they would be having that night. 

* * *

Mew happily tagged along to dinner with Gulf’s family when his  _ Mae _ had invited him, but family dinner was hardly the place to discuss taking their relationship to the next step. Gulf took a quick clip of them and posted it as an IG story, then they had a relaxed meal.

It was late when they both got home and Gulf finally called for their nightly video chat. He looked exhausted. 

Neither one of them knew what to say. Gulf spoke first, in the tiny voice that Mew didn’t hear very often. “I’m really glad you came tonight, P’Mew.”

Mew cleared his throat. He needed to know exactly why Gulf had kissed him and what it meant. He quirked the corner of his mouth up in half a smile. “Is that why you kissed me? To thank me for the surprise, like something Type would do?”

Gulf laughed. “No. Well yes, but not just because of that. The truth is…” Mew held his breath as he waited for the words he longed to hear Gulf say. “I miss kissing you. I miss hugging you. I miss spending time with you when we aren’t in front of fans. I miss you, and...I want more.”

His eyes looked full of worry, and Mew saw Gulf’s Adam’s apple bob.

Mew let a smile stretch across his face as he said, “I miss all those things, too. I didn’t want to influence your relationship with Poom, but since you broke up with her by your own decision...I want more, too.”

Gulf’s entire face lit up with a smile, and it reminded Mew of a sunflower. 

“We need to take things slow, though,  _ Yai Nong. _ ”

Type’s face suddenly appeared as Gulf pouted and said, “Why? I know what I want,  _ Khun Phi _ . It’s you. It’s always been you.”

Butterflies flitted around Mew’s stomach at the word “always,” so he took a deep breath to calm them. “ _ Yai Nong _ . I know you like to follow your emotions. But we need to be smart about this. There are a lot of reasons we need to increase our relationship slowly.”

Mew tried not to laugh as Gulf’s face was completely erased by Type’s. “Like what?”

With a sigh, Mew said, “For starters, you just got out of a long-term relationship.”

Gulf rolled his eyes and said, “Things have been going downhill for a long time with her, P’Mew. The more I got to know you...the less in love with her I felt.”

Mew was surprised by Gulf’s frankness. “Even so, you were with her for most of your adult life. But there are other reasons. Like me...my scars run deep, Gulf.”

Type’s face disappeared and was replaced by a look of concern on Gulf’s face. “What scars? Just because of...you know? What happened last year? I told you I’m not him!”

While Mew smiled, he knew it didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s part of it, yes. But I’m a lot older than you, Gulf. I’ve suffered a lot of heartbreaks. I’ve been cheated on more times than I can count. After what happened last year, I wasn’t sure I was ever going to let somebody into my heart again. You’ve managed to sneak in but…” He took in a deep breath as he figured out how to word this next part.

With his tiny voice, Gulf said, “But what?”

Mew gulped. “I’m scared, Gulf. You’ve become my best friend, like a brother to me, and I’m scared to death that I will fuck things up and push you away. Then I won’t even have you in my life as a friend. That scares the shit out of me. I can’t stand the thought of losing you. I would rather have you in my life as a friend than not in my life at all.”

Gulf’s face softened. “I’m afraid of that, too, P’Mew. It’s one of the reasons I stayed with Poom for so long. I was terrified of breaking up with her, only to lose you, too. But  _ Phi _ ...We can’t let fear stop us. I really believe we were destined to meet that day. Wouldn’t we be spitting in the face of fate if we stopped ourselves from acting on the feelings we both have?”

A sigh escaped Mew’s lips. “We also have to work together for the next couple of months, at least. What happens if we try to move things forward, and it doesn’t work? It will be so awkward to work together, and the fans will pick up on it, Gulf. Believe me, I’ve been through that before. Even if we don’t tell them anything, they will know something is wrong.”

With a scowl, Gulf said, “It’s awfully pessimistic of you to think we’ll break up so quickly and not even be able to be friends again after that.”

“Gulf, there’s more.” Mew blew out a breath. “We can’t tell the fans about our relationship. No matter how many times we’re asked. We will have to deny it and claim to be single.”

“Why?” Gulf exclaimed. “Won’t the fans be happy for us?”

Mew chuckled at Gulf’s naivety. “For starters, our contract for TharnType says we have to appear single through the last fan meet. And if we’re lucky enough to get a second season of TharnType, there will probably be a similar clause in that contract.”

Gulf frowned. “Ok, so we can’t admit anything right away...But if there’s no second season, we could tell everybody in like, March, right?”

“No, Gulf. How many big-name out actors do you know of in Thailand?” Mew gave him a second to think about it. “There’s a reason for that. Coming out as a same-sex couple could tank both of our careers. There is a lot of homophobia in this industry,  _ Yai Nong _ . It’s stupid and hypocritical, but it’s reality. It could be years before we could confirm having a romantic relationship without ruining our careers.”

Mew watched as the reality of the situation hit Gulf. “Well...What if I don’t care about my career? I’ll have my bachelor’s degree in a year, and you’re working on your PhD. We can get normal jobs.”

Pressing his lips together, Mew asked, “Is that really what you want, Gulf? No more acting. No more modeling. No more fans. And a lot less money.” He knew that part would hit Gulf the hardest since he didn’t come from the same privileged background as Mew.

When Gulf didn’t say anything, Mew continued. “I want to continue acting _. _ I want to win a best actor award. I might want to try a singing career. I don’t want to risk all that...no matter how much I care about you.”

Gulf sighed, and his shoulders dropped. “I understand. Just like Type wants to keep his relationship with Tharn secret for as long as he can, we need to keep our relationship secret for a long as possible. I don’t like it, but I understand. And I still don’t care. I want more with you, P’Mew. Risks be damned.”

Mew could tell by the set of his jaw that Gulf was serious. “I think we need to take a night to think things over. It’s late, and I would rather finish this conversation in person.”

Type’s face flitted across Gulf’s for a moment before he said, “You’re right. Are you free for dinner tomorrow?”

They decided to have takeout at Gulf’s condo and arranged a time. As they said goodbye for the night, Mew hoped that everything would work out and he could keep Gulf in his life for a long time.

* * *

When Mew arrived at Gulf’s door with a bag of food, Gulf yanked him inside, shut the door, flung his arms around his neck, and kissed Mew deeply. Mew placed his free hand at the back of Gulf’s neck and placed the hand holding the bag of food against Gulf’s lower back. 

When Gulf started trailing kisses down Mew’s neck, he gently pushed him away. “Gulf, we still need to talk before things go any further.”

Gulf whined, then took the bag of food from Mew and put it on the table. He pulled plates out of the cabinets and filled two glasses with water. “Sorry,  _ Phi _ , I don’t have anything else to drink but water.”

Mew smiled. “Water is perfect.” 

As they sat down to eat, a comfortable silence washed over them. As chatty as Mew was, he was still glad that he never felt pressured to talk when he was with Gulf. 

When they were done eating and had pushed their plates away, Gulf was the first to speak. “I thought about it all night, P’Mew. I want more with you. I don’t care that it’s risky. I don’t care that we have to keep it a secret. I don’t care that you’re afraid we’re going to break up. I want you. Period.”

With a soft smile and a sigh, Mew said, “I’m glad to hear that. But I thought of something else.” 

A crease appeared between Gulf’s eyebrows. “What?”

“You’ve never been with a man before, right?”

“So what?”

Mew sighed. “So...what if you don’t like it? Think of how awkward it would be if we tried to have sex, but you hated it, and then we had to work together afterward?”

Gulf rolled his eyes. “I’m not Type. I want all of you. I know what that entails. I don’t care whether you want to be the top or the bottom. However you like it, I’m sure I’ll like it, too. I’m sure you’ll be as gentle as Tharn. There’s no way I won’t love it.”

Gulf’s earnestness melted Mew’s heart. “You’re sure?”

With a snort, Gulf said, “I mayyyyyy have been dreaming about sleeping with you off and on for the last six months or so...So yeah, I’m sure.”

Mew blushed. While he had been having those types of dreams too, he had never dared to hope that Gulf had been having sex dreams about him. He cleared his throat. “I’m vers, by the way. I’m equally happy being the top or the bottom.”

Gulf’s grin lit up the room. “Then why are you so worried? That means you’ll be happy with however I like it. We don’t have to worry about both of us being tops or bottoms.”

_ He has a good point. _

“OK. I still want to take things slow though. Like, REALLY slow. No sex for at least a month or two. We need to see what it’s like being together as Mew and Gulf rather than Tharn and Type. If we rush things, we’re also more likely to have problems. Are you OK with that?”

Gulf scootched his chair closer to Mew, gently pulled his head down, and placed a tender kiss on Mew’s forehead. “Is that slow enough for you?”

Mew laughed. He placed a hand at the back of Gulf’s head and drew him closer so their foreheads were resting against each other. “Thank you, Gulf. I hope we can stay together for a long time.”

“I know we will,” Gulf whispered. “Because I’m never letting you go.”

While Mew admired Gulf’s conviction, he knew the real world often had different plans and obstacles that they couldn’t foresee. Still, Gulf’s words warmed Mew’s heart. 

* * *

A few days later, they had an event together with Shopee in front of hundreds of fans. After they were introduced, they got behind a sheet and were backlit so the audience could only see their silhouettes. 

As they removed each other’s jackets, Mew found himself looking forward to the day he and Gulf would undress each other for real. After the dinner where they had agreed to start dating, they had forced themselves to stick with kissing. They even managed to keep their hands on the outside of each other’s clothes.

That didn’t mean the kissing wasn’t hot. It definitely was. In fact, it was a struggle to stop with just kissing. Still, Mew had never enjoyed making out with somebody so much before. He felt like a horny teenager again, and he loved that Gulf had that effect on him.

When Gulf knelt to pretend to tie his shoes, creating a silhouette that made the fans scream, Mew wondered how long they would be able to stop themselves from going farther than kissing. 

They hadn’t had the chance to see each other since that dinner, and he could feel the sexual tension between them, despite five MCs and hundreds of fans watching them. He suspected they wouldn’t last more than a couple of weeks before taking things to the next level. 

At least, Mew hoped they could wait that long. Despite Gulf’s insistence that he would never leave, Mew still had his doubts. He worried that he would chase Gulf away, and that working with him would become unbearably awkward. 

Once the bit was over, they helped each other put their jackets back on. Even though it was tricky while juggling microphones, the move still felt familiar. They had been adjusting each other’s clothes for months now. When a mirror wasn’t handy, who better to fix your appearance than your “ship” partner whom you trusted? 

Mew still couldn’t believe how loud the fans screamed when they introduced themselves. He’d had some of his mewlions for several years, but he had never had enough to make such loud cheers before. He took a moment to appreciate that Gulf had brought so much more to his life than just companionship.

If Type had been any other actor, Mew had a feeling that TharnType wouldn’t have been so massively popular. After all, most of the fans loved the series because of the chemistry between him and Gulf. His career was getting the boost he had sought for years - and he just might have found love in the process. 

When P’Pha, one of the MCs, asked what he and Gulf would buy for each other for New Year’s, Gulf smirked, and Mew wondered what would come out of his mouth. 

Mew turned to Gulf and asked, “Ah,  _ Yai Nong, _ what would you buy for me?”

Gulf smirked again. “For  _ Khun Phi _ , I would buy a watch.”

Mew squeezed his eyebrows together. Gulf was the one who had to have a watch on every time he left the house, not him. “Why a watch?”

“Because  _ Khun Phi _ doesn’t have that much time for me.”

Mew laughed and embraced Gulf’s shoulders. 

_ Cheeky boy. _

Leaving one arm wrapped around Gulf’s shoulders, Mew replied, “Why would you say I don’t have time for you? As soon as I finish work, I call you, don’t I?”

The fans screamed while Gulf blushed, laughed, and lowered his mic. After a few seconds, he brought his mic back up to his mouth and said, “That’s true  _ krub. _ ”

When Mew was asked what he would buy for Gulf, he tried to think of an equally cheeky answer. “When we are on set, Gulf likes to sleep. I would like to buy Gulf an outdoor chair for him to use on set, a big one so we can sleep on it together.”

Gulf laughed, and seeing such a bright smile on his face caused the screaming of the fans to fade from Mew’s mind. As much as it was his job to keep the fans happy, Mew wanted to make Gulf happy, too. Hopefully, for a long time. 

When the MCs teased them about how clingy they had been backstage before the show started, Mew dropped his arm from Gulf’s shoulders. 

_ Shit. We’re going to have to be a lot more careful about what we do when we’re in public, even when we’re behind the scenes.  _

While people had been speculating about their relationship since workshops, the last thing they needed was to add more fuel to that fire now that they actually were in a romantic relationship - or heading that direction, anyway. 

“Let’s talk about the series a bit,” an MC said when they were done teasing Mew and Gulf. “From the first time that you met until now, what is the thing about each other that impresses you the most?”

They hadn’t been asked this question much yet, so Mew was curious how Gulf would answer.

Gulf smiled brightly and said, “The thing that impressed me would be P’Mew’s considerate nature. P’Mew on set will always look out for me, will always help me with everything because this is my first series, while he already has experience from before.”

Mew smiled and nodded. He had always been attentive to the people around him - but he had rarely been acknowledged for that, especially in public like this. 

When P’Pha asked Mew about the first thing he noticed about Gulf, he answered truthfully. “The first thing was that  _ Nong _ was cute.  _ Narak. _ ” Gulf preened at the compliment. 

The MCs pressed on. “Other than being  _ narak _ , what else impressed you?”

“Other than being cute,  _ Nong _ is dedicated when working. And when I feel upset or discouraged, he’s by my side.” Mew should have been looking at the MCs or crowd when he answered, but he mostly faced Gulf. He wanted Gulf to know some of his favorite things about him.

“Which scene is the one that took the longest to film, like that you had to keep doing it over and over?” 

They couldn’t talk about the fight scene in episode 12 because it hadn’t aired yet. While Mew was thinking about what to answer, Gulf turned to him and asked, “Is it the scene in episode one?”

_ Why would he bring that up? I can’t believe he wants the world to know that he couldn’t stop kissing me long enough to get a clean take! Well, since he brought it up... _

“Normally, Gulf and I don’t have to do many takes, but there was a scene in episode one where Tharn kissed Type on the neck and Type was drunk. Then, when Tharn went to kiss him, Type kissed Tharn back, so they kept having to retake the scene because he kissed back.”

Gulf looked proud of himself rather than embarrassed as Mew told the story. 

_ Why does he have to be so shameless? He’s going to get us in trouble one of these days with that mouth of his. _

The MC, of course, wanted to hear more. He looked at Gulf and asked, “At that time, what was going on in your head? Why did you turn your head and kiss back?”

“At that time, I misinterpreted the script. That time, it was a state of forgetting oneself.”

After the MCs teased them for a bit, one asked, “I would like to know, before filming started, did you have a lot of time to workshop and prepare?”

Mew replied, “We knew the result of the casting in January. After that, we had to workshop continuously until June, about four to five months. Which, at that time, normally we would call each other every day and practice our lines with each other.”

Gulf cut in to clarify, “Read the novel.” P’Mame hadn’t finished the script yet when they were doing most of the workshops. 

Truthfully, those nightly video calls had brought Mew and Gulf even closer than the workshops had. Yes, the skinship was nice, and it had certainly helped bring Gulf’s walls down. 

However, the chats where they slowly started opening up and learning more about the other’s likes and dislikes had cemented the start of their relationship - whatever it was at the moment - more than the chemistry they had felt while practicing kissing every day. 

Next, it was time for a game called, “Kiss me so I know you love me.” Mew and Gulf would race against two of the MCs transferring gradually smaller pieces of paper between each other using only their mouths to suck up the paper and pass it over. 

_ The fans are going to eat this up. _

The MCs went first, and they struggled. Partly because they didn’t know how they should each turn their heads to avoid bumping noses, but also because they clearly didn’t want their faces that close together. With the smallest piece of paper, they were both freaking out, trying to make sure their lips didn’t touch under any circumstances. 

When it was Mew and Gulf’s turn, Gulf struggled to suck up the paper, but at least they had had enough practice kissing each other to know they each preferred tilting their head to their right.

Unlike Tharn, who preferred Type’s upper lip, Mew loved Gulf’s luscious lower lip, and when Gulf was passing him the papers, he found it easier to suck it off Gulf’s lower lip rather than his open mouth. 

Mew tried hard not to look like he was enjoying the game too much, and by how red Gulf’s ears were, Mew was sure he felt the same way.

While the MCs had struggled more and more with each smaller piece of paper, Mew and Gulf found the smaller pieces easier to manage since they could communicate with their eyes. It was also a good excuse to use their tongues to help push the paper from one of them to the other. 

Mew enjoyed having a secret excuse to poke his tongue into Gulf’s mouth - but he looked forward to meeting him at his condo that night without pieces of paper between their lips. 


	15. Gulf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OK, you've all been patient long enough - it's FINALLY time for MewGulf to do more than kiss. I hope it's worth the wait!

###  Gulf

As soon as they were inside Gulf’s condo and Gulf had locked the door behind them, he launched himself at Mew and latched onto his lips as if he were a scuba diver sucking on the regulator. It had been three whole days since they had last kissed, and that was three days too many. 

As Gulf threaded his fingers through Mew’s hair, Mew wrapped his arms around Gulf’s waist and pulled him tight until their bodies were pressed together from their knees up to their chests. Mew sucked on Gulf’s bottom lip until Gulf moaned. It didn’t matter whether Tharn sucked on Type’s top lip or Mew sucked on his bottom lip - both made Gulf weak in the knees.

Mew slid his hands down to cup Gulf’s ass, increasing the friction between their hardening cocks, then whispered, “Can I pick you up?”

Gulf responded by lowering his arms to Mew’s neck and hopping up to latch his legs around Mew’s waist. Mew shifted his hands to get a better grip, then carried Gulf to the sofa. 

After setting Gulf gently down on the sofa, Mew straddled one of Gulf’s legs the way he had in the scene from the special episode. Gulf reached for his shoulders, but Mew paused to sweep the hair out of Gulf’s eyes. 

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are, Gulf?” 

Gulf felt his ears get hot, then he fisted a hand in Mew’s shirt and dragged him down on top of him. He whispered into Mew’s ear, “Don’t tell me. Show me how beautiful you think I am.”

Mew took advantage of the position to drop kisses onto Gulf’s neck. Gulf arched his back in response. He thought about telling Mew how much he enjoyed that, but he was pretty sure his sighs and moans said more than words could. 

When Mew started sucking at the point where his neck met his collarbone, Gulf thrust his hips up toward Mew’s, seeking more contact. He knew Mew was supporting his own body weight because he was afraid of crushing Gulf, but he didn’t care. He wanted to feel Mew’s full weight on him. Any distance between them was too much. 

Mew groaned and moved his kisses back up Gulf’s neck to his jawline. “I need to make sure I don’t mark you. We don’t need you to have to explain hickeys at our next event.” 

When they had more skin exposed, Gulf would ask Mew to mark him somewhere that no fan or makeup artist would see, but for now, he turned his head to meet Mew’s lips with his own. 

Gulf sucked Mew’s bottom lip into his mouth and ran his tongue over it, which made Mew moan. As Mew swiped his tongue over Gulf’s upper lip, Gulf ran his hands down Mew’s back to cup his muscular ass. He pulled down, forcing Mew’s hips to meet his own. 

“ _ Yai Nong, _ ” Mew whined. “If you keep doing that, I’m not going to want to stop at just kissing.” 

With a smirk, Gulf said, “My brain understands why you want to take things slow, P’Mew. But my cock doesn’t give a shit what my brain thinks right now.”

Mew groaned. “Hands only, then. Still, let’s just enjoy kissing for a while longer and go slow. Neither of us has an early schedule tomorrow. Let’s take our time tonight.”

A shiver went up Gulf’s back. He had never taken his time with any of his ex-girlfriends. He had a feeling that slowing down might make his orgasm better than ever. Well, that plus the fact that it would be coming from Mew. 

Gulf nodded, then pulled Mew’s head down to kiss his lips, softly at first, before he darted his tongue into Mew’s mouth. 

After a while, Gulf decided there was too much clothing in the way. He needed to touch Mew’s skin, so he slid his hands under Mew’s shirt and up his back. Mew sat up and pulled his shirt over his head, then he helped Gulf out of his own shirt. 

Before Mew could drop to his elbows again, Gulf gently pushed on his chest and guided Mew onto his back. Gulf shifted his legs so that he was straddling Mew and ran his hands up his rippled abs and firm pecs. Gulf raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been working out more since we stopped filming.”

Mew chuckled. “Do you like it?”

In response, Gulf lowered his head and licked a stripe up through the middle of Mew’s six-pack. Mew groaned, and Gulf teased one of his hard nipples with his tongue before trailing kisses up to Mew’s neck. He sucked on the same spot of Mew’s neck that Gulf liked to be kissed, but not hard enough to leave a mark. Mew hissed in delight.

Gulf was perfectly happy letting Mew control most things. In fact, he preferred it that way. He loved when Mew led interviews or initiated skinship. 

But Gulf felt an extra thrill that Mew was laying there letting Gulf control their makeout session. Gulf knew he would probably let Mew lead most of the time in the bedroom, too, but he was glad to know that Mew was willing to surrender to Gulf if it made him happy. 

Gulf rested his hands on Mew’s pecs and took Mew’s lower lip between his teeth as he started grinding on top of him. Mew had been keeping his hands to himself, giving free rein for Gulf to do as he pleased, but now he grabbed Gulf’s ass with both hands and pressed Gulf’s hips into his own. They explored each other’s mouths as they ground their hips together in a perfect rhythm. 

Knowing that Mew wanted to take things slowly even as he was growing impatient for release, Gulf decided to let Mew take the lead again - but not on the sofa. Gulf stood up, took Mew’s hand, and led him to the bedroom. He took off Mew’s pants, then his own, leaving their boxers on, then he lay down in the middle of the bed with his legs spread open in invitation. 

The look in Mew’s eyes was hungry as he crawled across the bed toward Gulf. He stopped short of where Gulf really wanted him to be, then picked up one of Gulf’s feet. “I should make you take a shower first,” Mew said, “But…” He placed a kiss on Gulf’s ankle and Gulf’s whole body shivered in delight. 

Unlike in the series, Mew didn’t stop with his ankle. He kissed his way up Gulf’s hairy calf, across his bent knee, then up his inner thigh until his lips met the edge of Gulf’s boxers. Gulf’s cock was rock hard, leaking, and desperate, but he knew Mew wouldn’t be ready to give him his release for a while yet. 

Indeed, Mew shifted his face past Gulf’s boxers entirely before nibbling on his  _ poong ka tee _ . As he did so, Mew looked up to catch Gulf’s eyes, checking his reaction. Gulf nodded slightly and bit his lower lip to indicate that yes, he was enjoying the sensation of Mew’s teeth grazing his belly. 

Mew crawled a little further up Gulf’s body and paused to suck on one of his nipples. He swirled his tongue around it, then blew cool air over it until it stood up hard and Gulf arched his back. Mew did the same to Gulf’s other nipple before Gulf grabbed Mew’s shoulders and pulled him further up the bed so they could kiss again. 

Gulf wrapped his long legs around Mew’s hips, who started thrusting against him while he peppered Gulf’s neck with kisses, pausing occasionally to suck gently. 

When Gulf’s boxers started irritating his sensitive skin, he decided he wanted them off. First, though, he ran his hands down Mew’s back and slipped his fingers under the waistband of Mew’s boxers. He couldn’t push them down very far with Mew’s weight pinning him down, but Mew got the idea. He removed his own boxers, then Gulf’s.

Gulf was confused when Mew climbed back on top of him. “Don’t we have to be, like, side by side to use our hands on each other?”

Mew simply smirked, then took both of their hard lengths in one of his long-fingered hands. Gulf gasped and his eyes went wide. Mew started thrusting against Gulf and his hand kept pace with his thrusts. 

As he looked into Mew’s mysterious eyes, Gulf saw the love that he knew they probably wouldn’t express using words for a while, and he felt his orgasm building faster than he expected. 

“P’Mewwwwww…” he whined as he closed his eyes. “I’m gonna…”

“Open your eyes,  _ Tua-Aeng. _ I want you to watch me come at the same time as you. I’m almost there, too.”

Gulf’s eyes flew open and he focused on the sound of their breaths speeding up. He saw the change in Mew’s eyes when he was about to come, and he let his own orgasm overtake him. His semen mixed with Mew’s all over their lower bodies, chests, and Mew’s hand.

Mew finally collapsed his entire body weight onto Gulf, a sensation he had been aching for. 

“I’ll clean us up after I catch my breath,” Mew whispered. Gulf clung to Mew’s back, indicating that he was in no hurry for Mew to get up in search of towels. 


	16. Mew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers the Preawpak event that was shot the day after the 12/12 Shoppee event and also has a couple of hot scenes in it.
> 
> I won't miss the biggest moments in December, January, or February, but I might speed a bit from here until Mew's birthday. I have a specific timeline in my head of when I want certain things to happen, and I'm not interested in writing a dozen handjob scenes, lol.
> 
> Also, I'm officially all caught up to what I've already written, so I don't know if I'll be sharing chapters quite as often. I have family in town for the next few days, so it might be a while before I upload the next chapter, plus sometimes I get really busy with work. So please forgive me in advance!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference videos:   
> -Preawpak 20191213: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilp5JbDYGgQ&t=1453s  
> -Happy New Gift with MewGulf (English sub): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrxCIFDF168
> 
> Twitter HT:   
> -#PreawpakxMewGulf: https://twitter.com/hashtag/PreawpakxMewGulf?src=hashtag_click

###  Mew

After Mew got them cleaned up, he wasn’t sure whether he should stay or go. Normally, he wouldn’t spend the night with a partner so early in a relationship - but what he had with Gulf was no ordinary relationship.

Mew sat up against the backboard and pulled Gulf against his chest. “Gulf, it’s getting late…”

Gulf shot upright. “Please don’t leave, P’Mew! I’ll be a good boy, I promise. I just want to spend the night in your arms. We have that Preawpak shoot together tomorrow anyway. Please stay.” 

He looked at Mew with his giant doe eyes, and Mew couldn’t resist. He reached over and brushed the hair out of Gulf’s eyes, then pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Okay. I’ll stay. Are you hungry?” When Gulf nodded, Mew said, “Why don’t you take a shower while I order some  _ ka prao _ . If you tell me where the spare sheets are, I’ll change the bed, too.”

A smile crept across Gulf’s face. “Thanks, P’Mew! The spare sheets are in the linen closet in the hallway.” He leaned over and gave Mew a peck on the lips before sliding out of bed and heading for the bathroom.

Mew watched Gulf’s bare ass walk away and tried not to think about hopefully pounding into it someday. When Gulf shut the bathroom door behind him, Mew was snapped out of his reverie. He found his boxers and put them on, then fished his phone out of his pocket to place the food order.

When he went to the linen closet, Mew was pleased to see that Gulf had not just one, but three spare sets of sheets. He hoped they would be going through a lot of sheets in the future.

As Mew finished making the bed, Gulf came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Mew couldn’t help but stare at Gulf’s figure: slender with long legs; a small, round belly; and golden skin. Mew felt himself start to grow hard again.

Gulf’s eyes dropped to Mew’s boxers and he smirked. “The shower’s open. Help yourself to anything in my closet. I’ll grab you a towel.” Mew watched the long legs leave the bedroom, then shook his head and went into the bathroom to shower.

* * *

When Mew was done with his shower, Gulf was spooning food from takeout containers onto plates. Mew slid up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist, then rested his head on Gulf’s shoulder. “It smells delicious,” Mew whispered. He felt Gulf shiver as Mew’s breath grazed his ears.

“Me, or the food?” Gulf asked as he set the spoon and food down and turned around to face Mew.

Mew placed his nose next to Gulf’s neck and sniffed deeply. “Both,” he whispered.

Gulf playfully slapped his shoulder. “If you keep that up, the food is going to get cold.” He gave Mew a peck on the cheek, then turned around to finish dishing up the food.

After they had settled and had a few bites of their food, Mew said, “You know, we have to eat a bunch of stuff at the shoot tomorrow. They’ll want us to feed each other. It’s a popular fan service. Are you okay with that?”

Gulf responded by loading up his spoon and thrusting it toward Mew’s mouth. The spoon bounced off Mew’s bottom lip and rice leapt off. Mew looked down at the rice in his lap, then back up at Gulf. “What the heck?”

“I wanted to practice,” Gulf said with a pout. “But you’re supposed to open your mouth!”

Mew started laughing so hard that tears came to his eyes. He tried to control himself when he saw Gulf scowling. “I’m sorry for laughing,  _ Tua-Aeng. _ You just caught me by surprise. Practicing is a good idea so we don’t spill on each other on camera.”

Wiping his lips with a napkin, Mew said, “First of all, you’re supposed to use my spoon or a fresh one. Nobody expects us to share a spoon.”

Gulf’s eyebrows drew together. “That’s stupid. We kissed each other hundreds of times as TharnType. Plus, I just had my tongue in your mouth an hour ago. Why not share a spoon?”

With a smile, Mew said, “As far as anybody knows, we haven’t kissed each other in months. If we share a spoon, they’ll joke about it being an ‘indirect kiss.’”

Gulf rolled his eyes. “We do have some say in the fan service, right?” When Mew nodded, Gulf continued. “Trying to keep track of whose spoon is whose sounds like a giant pain in the ass. I’m going to feed you using whatever spoon I have in my hand, and everybody else can just deal with it!”

Mew used his thumb to wipe a piece of rice from Gulf’s bottom lip. “OK. I don’t mind sharing spoons, I just wanted you to be aware of what people might say.”

When he saw Gulf load up a giant spoon of food and bring it to Mew’s lips, he shook his head. “Prepare small bites when you’re feeding somebody else. It’s less likely to make a mess. Here, let me show you.” Mew scooped up a tiny bit of food and slowly lifted it toward Gulf’s lips while holding his other hand under the spoon.

Pausing, Mew said, “Stop just before you reach my lips and let me lean forward to take the bite myself. That way, you won’t accidentally gag me.” He watched as Gulf opened his mouth and leaned forward to take the bite of food while never breaking eye contact with Mew.

Mew blushed. “Damn, Gulf. Do you plan on watching me feed you like that tomorrow, too?”

Gulf scowled. “Why can’t I look at you?”

“It’s just...people usually keep their eye on the food. And…” Mew glanced down at his lap, where the sweatpants he was wearing - Gulf’s - had started tenting.

With a smirk, Gulf said, “OK, now I’m definitely going to stare at you every time you feed me!”

Mew laughed while he watched Gulf scoop a tiny bite onto his spoon and bring it to Mew’s mouth. To give Gulf a taste of his own medicine, he stared at Gulf while he used his lips to pull the food off the spoon and into his mouth. Gulf’s mouth gaped open as his eyes drifted from Mew’s eyes to his lips, and Mew heard him gulp.

Licking his lips, Mew let his gaze drop from Gulf’s eyes to his lips to his lap, where he saw the effect he had had on him. Mew smirked. “See what I mean?”

Gulf’s ears were glowing red as he said, “Let’s hurry up and eat so we can...go to bed. Sleep. Yeah. That.”

With a chuckle, Mew shifted his attention to his food and wondered how long they would keep each other up that night.

* * *

Once the dinner plates were washed and put away, they climbed into bed wearing their boxers. They settled onto their right sides with Gulf as the little spoon. Gulf had promised to be a good boy, and he had stuck to his word, giving Mew a chaste peck on the lips before they got into bed and settled under the covers.

Mew, however, had made no such promise.

He pressed a kiss to the back of Gulf’s neck and let his left hand wander across Gulf’s chest and down his belly before sneaking into his boxers and stroking his cock.

“P’Mewwwwww…” Gulf whined. “I promised to be a good boy. And I’m sleepy.”

“You don’t have to do anything,  _ Tua-Aeng. _ Just let me make you feel good.”

With a groan, Gulf adjusted his position a little to give Mew better access to his hardening dick. As Mew sped up his strokes, he released his own rock hard cock from his boxers. He poked the tip between Gulf’s thighs and whispered, “Is this OK?”

Gulf reply was to spread his thighs a couple of inches, wiggle his butt back a little, then clamp his legs together with Mew’s dick pressed up against his balls.

Mew gasped. Gulf’s muscular thighs gripped his dick almost as tightly as his asshole hopefully would someday. He timed his thrusts with his strokes on Gulf’s cock. As Gulf’s breath sped up, Mew felt his own orgasm approaching. He nibbled on Gulf’s earlobe, then said, “Come for me.”

Gulf cried out and Mew felt his semen coat his hand, which triggered his own release. His strokes on Gulf’s dick and thrusts between his thighs became erratic as they both rode out their orgasms. 

As their breaths slowed down, Mew kissed Gulf’s shoulder and said, “Let me go get a washcloth. You just stay there.”

Once Gulf hummed a reply, Mew got up to get a wet washcloth. When he got back to the bed, Gulf was snoring lightly. Mew gently cleaned him up and tucked the covers around him again before putting the washcloth in the laundry basket and climbing into bed behind him. 

* * *

At the Preawpak shooting the next day, Mew felt bad for Gulf. They had already had to eat ice cream, cookies, and pastries, and now they had to feed each other fluffy pancakes. As much as Mew loved sweets and was in heaven trying so many, he could tell that Gulf was miserable.

When it was time for the pancakes, Mew found a strawberry with the least amount of cream on it and fed it to Gulf rather than a bite of pancakes. Gulf tried not to smile and mumbled, “Phi, we’re supposed to be promoting the pancakes,” before taking a tiny bite himself.

Mew couldn’t help but smile at how determined Gulf was to do the job right, even if he was secretly hating it. Gulf’s work ethic had made the filming of TharnType easy, and it was continuing to make their couple work go smoothly, too.

By the time they got to the donut creme brulee strawberry, Mew insisted that Gulf feed him several bites for the cameras. They still had to feed each other one bite, but Mew stood up to the production crew and refused to force even more sweets than that into Gulf. One cute shot per dish was plenty.

Finally, it was time for some savory food. Mew got to eat salmon, his favorite, and he felt Gulf perk up next to him while eating sea bass and sour soup.

Once they were done eating, they got to sit and do a short interview in front of some fans. After Mew talked about all the things he and Gulf have in common, the male MC said, “It’s a relationship in many ways, isn’t it?”

_ Keep a straight face keep a straight face keep a straight face. _

Even if they planned on telling the fans about their relationship someday, it wouldn’t be anytime soon, and it certainly wouldn’t be blurted out in an interview like this. Out of the corner of his eye, Mew saw Gulf smile and nod.

_ Shit. _

Even though that smile and nod didn’t necessarily confirm that they were in a romantic relationship, Mew would have to talk to Gulf about not giving people even more reasons to pry into their private lives.

When they were asked to say some nice words to each other, Mew offered to go first to give Gulf a minute to think about what to say. He decided to offer sincere words in a joking fashion so that he could tell Gulf his true feelings while everybody watching wouldn’t take it too seriously.

“I wish you to have a lovely fan club like this. I wish you only happiness and to do what you like.” Mew couldn’t help but to punctuate each sentence by touching Gulf’s thigh. “And I want to thank you for coming to casting that day so we can work together. I’m really glad to be together. May we both be together a lot.”

Gulf’s eyes said thank you as he patted his hair to receive Mew’s blessing. The fans screamed, thinking it was all a cute fan service, but Gulf’s eyes told Mew that he understood the words were genuine.

When it was Gulf’s turn, he looked into Mew’s eyes and said, “First of all, I would like to thank you, too, that we got to be TharnType together. From the first day until today, it’s been a year since we met, and I’ve been very happy. And I would like to stay together like this for a long time.”

Mew was so overcome with emotion that he couldn’t help but to grab Gulf’s shoulders and pull him into his chest for a side hug. He left his arm around Gulf’s shoulders for a while, not caring anymore that cameras and fans were watching every second of their interaction. It looked like fan service, anyway.

Finally, the shooting was over and they could just pose for and interact with the fans. They were standing side by side waving peace signs at the fans, when Gulf suddenly wrapped his arm around Mew’s shoulders. Since Gulf was rarely the first one to initiate skinship, Mew couldn’t help but grin. 

He figured he was imagining it, but Mew wanted to believe it was Gulf’s way of claiming ownership over him now that they were dating - or whatever. They hadn’t put a label on this next step of this relationship, but Mew felt it didn’t matter. Nobody needed to know in what context they were together.

Mew wrapped his arm around Gulf’s waist and pulled him in a little. Even out of the corner of his eye, Mew could see how Gulf’s smile lit up as brightly as a sunflower. After a few moments, Mew turned to stare at Gulf’s lips. As much as he loved the fans, he was anxious to get home and kiss those lips some more.

Gulf caught him staring and turned to smile at him. As Mew’s gaze bounced between Gulf’s eyes and lips, Gulf’s grin got even wider. 

After they had posed for a while, Mew saw somebody waving a pink donut pool floaty at them. Mew walked over to grab it, then playfully put it over Gulf’s head. Fans started asking them both to squeeze into it together, and they both shook their heads. There was no way they were both going to fit in there.

Soon, though, Gulf gave into the pressure from the fans and said, “Come on, let’s try,” as he lifted the tube high enough for Mew to join him. 

_ Even if we don’t fit, I guess I can’t complain about having an excuse to press my body up against Gulf’s. _

Gulf tried to pull the floaty down around their shoulders a few times before Mew reached up his right arm to try to pull it down that way. Eventually, they managed to free their arms and hold the floaty around their waists. 

Being pressed together cock to cock, Mew couldn’t help but giggle and be glad they were both wearing loose pants. As they slowly turned to let fans get pictures from every angle, he hoped the fans couldn’t see how much they were secretly enjoying being squeezed together in that tube.

A while later, after they had gotten out of the donut and taken off their outer shirts, a fan asked to see Mew’s veins, so he walked over and showed his arm. When he walked back to Gulf, he asked where he had gone. After Mew explained, Gulf said, “Oh, I have veins too! You want to see?” He started to walk toward the fan, but Mew grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

_ Nobody gets to touch Gulf except me! _

* * *

When they got back to Gulf’s condo after the event, Mew pressed Gulf against the wall as soon as the door was closed and locked behind them. He sucked on Gulf’s bottom lip while one hand caressed his face and the other cupped Gulf’s ass.

Gulf groaned, and Mew moved his mouth to Gulf’s earlobe. After teasing it with his teeth for a moment, he whispered, “Never let fans touch you again. The only person allowed to touch you is me.”

Cocking an eyebrow, Gulf said, “What about hair and makeup people? And sound techs? Some people have to touch me, P’Mew.”

Mew sucked on the delicate skin of Gulf’s throat, then growled, “You know what I mean, Gulf. Other than people who have to touch you for work, nobody else gets to touch you. You’re all mine.”

Gripping the back of Mew’s head with both hands, Gulf said, “It’s you who are mine.” He plunged his tongue into Mew’s mouth, then sucked on his top lip.

Throwing away his last bit of self control, Mew undid Gulf’s pants and shoved them and his boxers down to his knees, then did the same with his own pants. He took both of their hard lengths in one hand and started stroking them at a fast pace.

Gulf whined and said, “Not gonna last long like this.”

“Good,” Mew growled as he sped up the pace and attacked Gulf’s lips with his own. Mew was pleased when Gulf’s ragged breaths started to match his own. “I’m there,  _ Tua-Aeng. _ Come with me.”

With a cry, Gulf spasmed against him, and the feel of his cum on Mew’s hand triggered his own release. As he stroked them through their orgasms, he felt Gulf’s knees get wobbly, so he wrapped his free arm around Gulf’s waist to hold him up.

When Gulf seemed to have found his feet again, Mew asked, “Can you stand on your own long enough for me to go wash my hand and grab a washcloth to clean us up?” Gulf nodded, and Mew slowly let go of Gulf and waddled to the bathroom with his pants around his ankles.

Once they were cleaned up, they snuggled up on the sofa together.

“P’Mew?”

“Mm?”

“Thanks for not force feeding me too many of those sweets today. I know we had to eat them all to promote them, but I really appreciated how you started standing up to the production crew so I wouldn’t have to take more than one bite. You take such good care of me.” 

Gulf looked over at Mew with big eyes, and Mew leaned over to give him a peck on the lips. “Of course,  _ Yai Nong _ . I hope I’ll be able to take care of you for a long time.”

When Gulf smiled, Mew pressed a kiss to his forehead, then guided Gulf’s head down to his shoulder. Mew didn’t believe in forever, but he did hope that he would be able to take care of Gulf for a long time. 

Because caring for Gulf made Mew about as happy as anything else in the world - apart from Chopper, maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS - A big thanks goes to Pixie for taking my bare-bones spreadsheet and turning it into possibly the greatest MewGulf resource ever!


End file.
